The Gamer of Sunagakure
by Zturm
Summary: After his death by a sandwich, a SI/OC finds himself reincarnated in Sunagakure with gaming mechanics.
1. The Beginning

**This story idea was inspired by "Uzumaki &amp; Sabaku" by jCOOLn and "Death's New Entertainment" by zed019.**

** Rated M for future swearing and because I'm paranoid.**

**Disclaimer:** **Familiar characters and references you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

**3rd Person POV:**

When Genji was born, the medical staff saw initial signs the expectant mother's baby was a stillborn since he made no noise at all. The babe eventually showed movement and everyone breathed a sigh of relief for a safe delivery.

The mother that recently gave birth panicked asking if her baby lived and they reassured her that the infant is breathing and showing signs of being healthy. A couple of minutes later confirmed the newborn didn't have a problem with his vocal cords as he babbled a bit.

The nurse handling the baby asks the new mother for the baby's name for his documentation papers.

"Genji. The name of this newborn will be Genji."

The head doctor replied in a hearty tone, "Oh hoh! Naming this boy after the main character of that book? Maybe he'll be a legendary ninja or figure one day."

She decided to name the child 'Genji' referencing a book she once read called **[The Tale of Genji] **believing her little boy will be a gifted individual when he grows up. She watched her son slowly open his eyes as to adjust from the bright lights, dazed for several moments, and noticed he's curious of his surroundings.

Indulging in his desire, she helped Genji by moving his body in different directions before reorienting his point of view towards her smiling face. Eventually, he refocused his wandering eyes onto her before going to sleep in her embrace.

She heard that babies are usually loud when they're born, but thought her son is the silent type. But for now, she's trying to think of how she's going to afford his upbringing, ever since she had a gut feeling of relocating to this village.

**Genji's POV:**

It's weird knowing that you died recently and yet still find yourself alive with your conscience intact. I thought death will be like experiencing an eternal sleep.

I'm still waiting for something to happen, unless this place is actually hell or maybe even limbo where I'll suffer from eternal loneliness and my mind breaks.

Reflecting on my past actions, I can definitely say that I'll miss all the video games, anime, manga, and stuff that I'll never get to finish or read. I was so close to graduating from college, but everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

Hah! Just joking, it all changed when I started choking on some food and found myself in this place. Stuck floating around inside this void-like dimension surrounded by eternal darkness in silence.

Subsequently, the soundlessness stopped when I heard creepy laughter reminding me of a villainous laugh. The voice sounded like several people speaking in unison and soon it stopped. Then an ominous voice started conversing with me.

It said **"I suppose you'll do to fix this world's problems and for my entertainment. I was looking for several others to show up, but I'm tired of waiting and you'll be their replacement."**

Well isn't that great? Even in the afterlife, I'm still the last player to be selected when somebody is choosing teams in sports. Talk about a self esteem killer.

**"... I'll have to modify your soul and body just a bit to increase your chances of survival and slightly influence some people and events to accommodate your presence. ****Let me see what you choose to do with this new life."**

**"Don't worry yourself ragged thinking you hijacked and stole the baby's body that you'll be inhabiting soon. It was destined to be a stillborn after all! Hmmmhmmmhm!"**

Modify my soul and body?! AAH! Then I felt a sharp pain all over myself that lasted a couple of seconds before the sudden feeling of my body's senses. I can't move much and I feel a blanket or cloth wrapped around my entire body.

Opening my eyes, I was assaulted by the bright lights and adapted after a moment to see several floating blue transparent windows with words on them. It actually reminds me of those important message pop-ups or blue skill tables you usually see in **[Moonlight Sculptor]** and **[The Gamer]**.

However! The first message had me twitching a bit due to its reminder on how I died along with a penalty. All I can say is that my death on Earth was totally avoidable, but it happened.

**You died by asphyxiation via food in your previous life, instead of natural causes. **

**-5 INT and -5 WIS!**

Yep, that's right! I died choking on a large bite from a Subway steak and cheese foot-long sandwich. Damn piece of beef lodged in my throat and I tried to do the Heimlich maneuver on myself. There's a reason why your parents tell you to eat your food slowly, chew carefully, and swallow.

Huh? Did you expect me to die from the cliché crossing the street and ran over by a random speeding vehicle? Or maybe saving some moron crossing the street from said vehicle? NOPE!

Can you imagine the penalty I would've received if I crossed the street without looking both ways? If I did, I bet my INT and WIS would be in the negatives or zero for being a moron not listening to common sense advice you hear as a kid.

Anyways! The main point is that I got another shot at life and I'll make sure to live a fulfilled life this time. Is it even possible to choke on food now that I'm **[The Gamer]**?

Remembering my previous life, I will miss my parents and brother though. I regret not being able to take care of my mentally handicapped brother after our parents will pass on from old age.

He's the reason why I studied to attain a computer science major, because I required a lot of money to take care of his needs, myself, and a possible family if I ever choose to start one. But that's all in the past.

It might be possible to return to Earth, but that depends on this world's setting. I'm not sure if I've been reincarnated on Earth or another world, but I'm thankful to whoever did this giving me the opportunity to experience the saying "Life is a game, play to win."

Why curse my mysterious benefactor, when I should be praising it instead? I never understood why after death, those SI's curse their patron for another chance at life? Unless the backer put them in a horrid setting where they're a slave or something else horrible, then I can understand their reasons.

Frankly, I was tired of waiting for VR, also known as Virtual Reality, to become a reality on Earth ever since reading many fanfictions and novels like **[Moonlight Sculptor]**, **[Ark]**, and **[The Gamer]**. By the time VR games like **[Moonlight Sculptor]** become available to play, I'd be dead from old age.

Dismissing the window by willing it to go away, another one appeared before me.

**Please speak or mentally think the command word 'Pause' to begin the tutorial!**

A tutorial! That's certainly helpful. Pause.

**DING!**

**Welcome to the Beginning Tutorial!**

** You are now [The Gamer] of this particular world!**

**Whenever you 'Pause' the game, you'll see the Main Menu.**

** You can access most functions on the menu. **

**Main Menu:**

**Character Status **

**Skill List**

**World Map - Unavailable **

**Inventory **

**Relations **

**Save Data **

**Quest Log **

**Options **

**Game Manual**

Then I realized around me that time itself froze. This was evident by the nearby nurses and medical staff standing completely still without blinking, moving, or even breathing.

**To see your current stats, mentally think [Character Status]!**

**This can be accessed in the real world or from the Main Menu.**

Easy enough, follow the instructions the words are stating to say. Character status.

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji K. - **Class:** The Gamer - **Age:** Newborn

**Titles:** None

**Status:** Normal

**Level:** 0 - **EXP:** 0/100

**HP:** 60 - **HP Regen:** .05 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 135 - **CP Regen:** .3 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 0

**VIT:** 1

**PE:** 1

**WIS:** 3

**INT:** 3

**SE:** 6

**DEX:** 0

**AGI:** 0

**LUK:** 1

**Fame/Infamy:** 0/0

**Unspent points:** 0

**Money:** 0 Ryo

What's with my low INT and WIS? I'm a reincarnated person, so shouldn't I have at least 7 including the penalty?

Huh, so my new name is Genji? What's with the 'K' for my last name? Is it an initial or is the game system deliberately hiding it for me to discover later on? Maybe my new parents will tell me after I grow old enough to start asking them questions.

The layout of the **[Character Stats]** window was designed like this. The words 'Character Status' on the top of the window, my stats listed on the left hand side, and a full 3D model of myself on the right. The model is currently depicting my baby self in a fetal position.

**Whenever you say 'Pause',**** your surroundings will freeze including yourself.**

** To skip the tutorial and resume gameplay, say 'Resume'.**

**Moving on, mentally think or loudly say [Skill List]!**

No way am I skipping the tutorial. Skill list.

**Skill List**

**Gamer's Mind (Passive) Level: MAX**

+Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Enables a calm and peaceful sense of mind and immunity to psychological status effects.

+Provides an impenetrable mental shield against memory modification and blocks foreign entities like the Yamanaka Clan or Genjutsu users from viewing the memories of your previous life, current memories, and Gamer abilities.

**Gamer's Body (Passive) Level: MAX**

+Grants a body that allows the user to live the real world like a game.

+Sleeping fully recovers your HP, CP, and removes all negative status debuffs afflicting you.

**Automatic Iron Sand Defense (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

-An ability given to you by your benefactor to ensure you don't die prematurely from dangerous threats before making your impact on the story.

-Whenever you feel you're in danger, this ability will summon nearby Iron Sand automatically from the environment to protect its master from physical harm as it has a will of its own.

+The black sand can be given a spoken or mental command by the master to follow a specific order.

+10% attack damage and +3% particle speed.

**? Bloodline Limit (Passive) [Locked]**

**-You haven't met the prerequisites to know what this trait is!**

-**[Chakra Control Mastery]** skill  
-Learn who your father is and what he's famous for.

**? Bloodline Limit (Passive) [Locked]**

**-You haven't met the prerequisites to know what this trait is!**

-**[Chakra Control Mastery]** skill  
-Learn who your mother is and what her heritage is.

**This is your skill list.**

** It lists all the skills that you know and your body currently knows.**

** Some skills require you to fulfill prerequisites so you can use them.**

**You can learn skills via several different methods.**

** It's up to you to discover what those methods are.**

That explains why I'm not panicking or thrashing about and its all thanks to **[Gamer's Mind]**. The clues in the skill's descriptions tells me where my current location is.

The Yamanaka Clan, Chakra, Chakra Control, bloodline limits, and an ability similar to Gaara's automatic sand defense? It doesn't take a genius to figure out what world I've been reborn in.

So if I'm in Naruto's world of ninjas, what village or locale was I reborn at? Hopefully, someplace peaceful and not the Bloody Mist era of Kirigakure.

I should've paid more attention to the series like reading the manga, but I do remember key events and characters. Characters like who the final villains and such from all the various people talking about it in their Chapter or Anime episode reviews on YouTube.

The anime on the other hand, I've stopped watching after Madara dropped those two meteorites in the 4th Shinobi War because I was busy with life. I do know of some side characters should I ever see them and memorized the Naruto's hand seal for the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

When you see Naruto spam that Jutsu multiple times, the type of seal is ingrained into your mind. It helped that I was curious enough to google what seal I was looking at too. Besides, a skill that like that is essentially a cheat code and EXP modifier for those with massive Chakra reserves turning them from zero to hero.

Now for those two bloodline limits, I'll probably figure them out when they teach me Chakra Control at the Ninja Academy. If and only if there is one where I'm currently living in. If not, I'll join the Academy of whichever the 5 major villages is nearest to my location because fuck those minor villages.

**World Map is the map of the Elemental Nations and lands surrounding it.**

**This function will be unlocked when you take your first step outside the village's walls.**

So this claims I'm already living in a village, but it doesn't tell me which one.

**Inventory is a personal pocket dimension that you can store your belongings inside. **

**Please proceed to mentally think or loudly say [Relations].**

Relations.

**Relations**

**R.O.B: Neutral 0/1000**

**Mother: Loved 500/1000**

**Relations is your current relationship with other people.**

** This value increases and or decreases with day to day actions.**

So why isn't my father listed on it? If he's not on the list, then I guess he's probably dead or incapacitated.

**By forming a conclusion based on the information presented, you gained +1 WIS!**

**Now then, mentally think or loudly say [Save Data].**

Save Data.

**Save Data**

**Save File 1: Empty**

**Save File 2: Empty**

**Save File 3: Empty**

**This is your Save Data.**

**Use this to save your game progress as go further into the story.**

**Whenever you die via game over or decide to go back in time, you can reload to whichever save file you choose and you can continue to play.**

**If for whatever reason you want to permanently die after a game over, then do not use the Save Data function at all and kill yourself.**

Hell no! I just got another shot at life, why would I commit suicide?

**To save your game, mentally think or loudly say [Create Save File #].**

**To replace a save file with another, mentally think or loudly say [Overwrite Save File #].**

**You'll receive a confirmation notice if you want to overwrite the file and answer with a [Yes] or [No].**

When I read the instructions on how to save my game progress, I saw multiple adages pop into my brain like "Constant vigilance", "Be prepared", and "The save button is your friend."

Create Save File 1!

**Save Data**

**Save File 1: 1st Day of Life Mid-Tutorial**

**Save File 2: Empty**

**Save File 3: Empty**

**Excellent, now mentally think or loudly say [Quest Log] to see your current quests.**

Quest Log.

**Quest Log**

**None**

**This is your Quest Log.**

** Currently, you have no quests to see or reread.**

**The function's purpose is if you want to reread the details of any quests you're undertaking that are currently active. **

**The second to last function is [Options].**

**Do I need to repeat the instructions on how to access it?**

Yes, I understand already. Options.

**Options**

Background Music: [On] - **[Off]**  
Subtitles: [On] - **[Off]**  
Health &amp; Chakra Bar Display: [On] - **[Off]**  
Mini-map Display: [On] - **[Off]**  
Tutorial Videos: [On] - **[Off]**

**This is your options.**

**You can turn these on or off whenever you want to customize your playing experience.**

Looking at what's being offered, I'll turned everything on. I'm not sure whether I'm in the Dub or Sub of Naruto, but the subtitles will be immensely helpful in learning the language. I'll have to turn it off later after I learn how to read and write the language because I can't have it distracting me during a fight.

Background Music: **[On]** \- [Off]  
Subtitles: **[On]** \- [Off]  
Health &amp; Chakra Bar Display: **[On]** \- [Off]  
Mini-map Display: **[On]** \- [Off]  
Tutorial Videos: **[On]** \- [Off]

**Wonderful!**

** Now onto the final function on the Main Menu!**

**For additional assistance in understanding Gaming terminology and mechanics, mentally think or say out loud [Game Manual].**

Game Manual.

**Game Manual**

**Name**: The name you are called by others on this world.

**Title**: An achievement that grants bonus effects to your stats. Currently, you can only equip one title at a time.

**Status**: This represents the current condition of your body and any status effects like buffs or debuffs affecting you.

**Level**: A representation of your overall power and combat experience. The higher it is, the more powerful the person is.

**EXP = Experience Points**: Represents the amount of experience needed to advance to the next level.

**HP = Hit Points**: A representation of your current life force. When it reaches 0, you'll die resulting in a Game Over.

**CP = Chakra Points**: A form of life energy all individuals produce to some degree that can be controlled and manipulated for various purposes. When it goes below 0 to a certain degree, you'll die resulting in a Game Over.

**STR = Strength**: Affects melee damage, how much you can lift, and how hard you can swing and throw weapons.

**VIT = Vitality**: Affects your hit points, stamina, and the body's endurance against attacks.

**PE = Physical Energy**: The physical energy component of Chakra.

**INT = Intelligence**: Affects chakra points, jutsu damage, and being able to remember things.

**WIS = Wisdom**: Affects your chakra regeneration rate, decision making, and jutsu resistance.

**SE = Spiritual Energy**: The spiritual energy component of Chakra.

**DEX = Dexterity**: Affects attack speed, weapons handling, aiming, damage when you land a critical hit, and any activity that uses your hands.

**AGI = Agility**: Affects movement speed and any activity that uses your feet.

**LUK = Luck**: Affects how lucky you are, enemy drops/loot, helpful or dangerous encounters, and etc. Basically everything.

**Fame/Infamy**: Your reputation which will affect people that you meet and whether they'll be friendly, hostile, or neutral towards you.

**Unspent Points**: Whenever you level up, you'll receive 5 stats points to appropriate to whatever stat you choose. This represents the number of points you have left that you can spend.

**Money**: How much of this world's currency you're currently carrying on your person or inventory.

**How your HP, HP Regen, CP, and CP Regen is calculated**

Current HP = Base HP + (VIT X 10)

Current CP = Base CP + Bonus CP + ((PE + SE) X 5)

HP Regeneration per 5 seconds = (VIT X .05)

CP Regeneration per 5 seconds = (WIS X .10)

**Tips and Tricks to survival:**

**1:** Do you have a hard time remembering things? Then allocate your bonus points in INT!

**2:** Major Quests are the types of quests you cannot refuse. You either succeed or fail.

**3:** Spend your bonus points wisely. Otherwise, you'll have to go back to an earlier save file to change them.

**4:** Whatever you kill will leave behind a corpse and will not disappear, unless you're inside an ID Create dungeon.

**5:** If you want to see what the level and description of an individual skill, say 'Show Name skill'. For example, 'Show Cooking skill'. If you want to see all the skills you have without their information except level, say 'Abbreviated Skill List'.

**6:** Some skills require a vocal command or hand seals to activate.

**7:** Some skills grant additional bonuses when they pass certain milestones.

**8:** To see your status without going into the character status screen, say 'Show Current Status'.

**IMPORTANT NOTICE!**

If you use too many Chakra points and go past zero into the negative numbers, you'll receive the status debuff **[Chakra Exhausted]**. This debuff will leave you bedridden for a full day even with the **[Gamer's Body]**.

If you use a Jutsu or a technique that goes deep into the negative numbers and exceeds your current CP Regeneration, then you'll die.

**Congratulations!**

**You have finished the tutorial, good luck!**

That was interesting and very helpful. Now that the tutorial is over, I can now take the time to consider my current situation. While I was blessed with the power of **[The Gamer]**, I'm not sure if being reborn in this particular world is a blessing or a curse.

Depending on the time period I was reborn in, I'll have to endure and deal with an endless cycle of killing and risk of being killed my entire life. It's not paranoia when you know they're out to get you after all.

Hell, people like Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Hiruzen are still expected to be able to fight enemies despite being old. Even though it pays a ton of money, there is no retirement plan unless you're crippled or dead.

But having power is better than none at all. Civilians have no say here as might makes right.

Hmm, I'm going to have to distribute a lot of points into my INT stat. If a Jutsu requires three or more hand signs, then I'm going to need a high INT to compensate for my shoddy memorization skills. It's a miracle that I still remember the Shadow Clone Jutsu uses the clone hand seal for activation.

Reviewing the game manual once more, I then mentally thought 'Resume' to continue playing the game. Time unfroze and I heard a lot of shuffling around me.

I made a small noise and I felt somebody gently embrace me from behind. I wanted to look around and that person indulged my request as I looked around. Then that somebody turned me around and I saw it was a lady reclined on a hospital bed who was hugging me.

Scrutinizing her appearance, she wasn't a main or side character I recognize. Which means she's probably a background or unknown character. But there's several iconic features about her that stuck out to me.

Her hair color was somewhat white and gray, she had a zig-zag hair line right in the middle of her head, and she had two reddish circles above her eyebrows. Looking at her reminded me of Kimimaro of the Kaguya clan.

There is a possibility that I'm a part of their clan or an offshoot of it. The other possibility is an unknown clan I'm unaware of that starts with the letter K. In fact, I believe I am a part of their clan because in the Skill List, it showed I had two locked bloodline limits.

I continued rationalizing my conclusion that I'm a Kaguya and a message appeared in front of me.

**By observing the details of your mother and remembering certain aspects and features on what makes certain clans unique, you've figured out her heritage and earned +1 WIS!**

She coos at me and I giggle a bit bringing a smile to her face. It was then I saw the subtitles of conversation between the medical personnel around me.

"I'm glad I chose to become a doctor, cause medical professionals are always in demand."

"Do you think Sunagakure's economy will recover soon?"

"At least the war is over. Hopefully Suna can rebuild itself back up to where it was."

Thank you gossiping nurses for telling me my location. So I was reborn in one of the five major hidden villages and it happens to be Sunagakure. Isn't that somewhere located in Wind Country?

As I look at my supposed mother again, I observed every little detail about her. She's tired and sweaty, but joyful that I'm alive.

**Ding!**

** A skill has been created from observing the details of your mother.**

**Observe (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Enables [The Gamer] to see and read detailed information of an object, person, living being, and etc he's looking at. The higher the level, the more information about your target is revealed.**

**+CP Cost: 0**

Reading the skill's description, I then tried using it on my mother.

**Name:** ?

That's pretty pathetic, I didn't learn anything useful at all. Unless her name is actually a question mark, which I highly doubt.

Is it because the skill level is only level 1? Maybe the issue is the difference in our character levels?

It's probably one of those two things and there's nothing much I can do right now. So I decided to take a nap to pass the time and fell asleep in my mother's embrace gently swaying me back and forth.

* * *

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya - **Class:** The Gamer - **Age:** Newborn

**Titles:** None

**Status:** Normal

**Level:** 0 - **EXP:** 0/100

**HP:** 60 - **HP Regen:** .05 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 145 - **CP Regen:** .5 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 0

**VIT:** 1

**PE:** 1

**WIS:** 5

**INT:** 3

**SE:** 8

**DEX:** 0

**AGI:** 0

**LUK:** 1

**Fame/Infamy:** 0/0

**Unspent points:** 0

**Money:** 0 Ryo

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**The story will follow some canon events but is an AU because certain characters are alive instead of dead like in the original source.**

**The SI/OC will do several things that will cause minor and major repercussions later on.**

While you might think Genji is broken with two bloodline abilities and the powers of **[The Gamer]**, he'll have to use these three abilities to survive against enemies who are even more hax or OP or broken than their canon counterparts.


	2. A Poor Lifestyle

**Disclaimer:** **Familiar characters and references you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: A Poor Lifestyle**

After spending a couple of days in the hospital, my new mother was finally healthy enough to be discharged. I thought my new father would show up by now, but nobody came except the doctors doing regular check ups on my condition.

Being somewhat of a pessimist, I believed that there was a high chance he was dead. It's a ninja world after all.

Its feasible that he's very busy working abroad like a typical Japanese parent you see from anime. Or maybe he's so sick that he is bedridden. Then again, he could've ran away from his responsibilities not wanting to pay child support if that even exists here.

Maybe he'll show up if I change my way of life and channel positive thoughts? My old mother back then always tried to make me think positive and stop thinking so negatively.

It's hard to think positively whenever you watch the news and most topics are about negative events. Right now, I don't feel as much pessimism that I usually used to have back then.

In fact, I feel rather calm and collected about my situation. I guess the **[Gamer's Mind]** ability really is handy dandy for calming me down and giving me a peaceful state of mind.

Then I felt somebody gently pick me up and held me near to their chest. Looking up at, I see it's my mother wearing some thick robes. She then said in a caring and soft voice "Are you ready to go home Genji?"

I giggled in response and she beamed with happiness. It'd be unnerving and abnormally weird if I remained completely silent and watched everyone like a hawk.

Upon exiting the air conditioned building, I felt the sudden temperature increase outside. It was hot, but not hot enough to be sweltering dangerous.

My theory and conclusion that I was reborn in Sunagakure was confirmed, when I saw the various clay and stucco buildings. There were some buildings I spied that had the symbol for Wind you usually see on the Kazekage's hat.

Each building that we passed by was unique in design and architecture as some are shaped like cylinders, spheres, upside down buckets, drums, and fruits. Along the way, I noticed the condition of the buildings gradually deteriorated the more mother walked forwards.

Arriving at the dilapidated apartment complex, she slowly climbed two flights of stairs, and approached a door labeled '202'. She unlocked the door, entered the room, and locked the door.

Then she announced to me "We're home Genji!" Suffice to say, I was shocked at this apartment room's shape. The apartment had only the bare necessities and its overall state is poor.

The place was just screaming 'Ramshackle Inn'. There are cracks in the walls, the light when turned on constantly flickered at random intervals, and the large appliances looked outdated.

The overall layout was literally open concept as I could see the kitchen, bed, bathroom, wardrobe dresser, and dining table. There was a baby crib right next to the bed so I guess that's where I'm sleeping.

But still, the reason I'm unsettled by this place is because I'm going to feel a firsthand experience of what it's like living in the poor house. This coming from someone who was raised by a middle class American family.

Like she read my mind or something, she continued talking "It's not much right now, but I hope I'll find a stable job to support the both of us. Even if this place is like a haunted house, I'm strong enough to protect you from ghosts."

My mother then posed in a manner similar to that 'We can do it' girl to reassure me and I giggled again. She approached the crib and softly placed me in the crib right next to a worn out teddy bear. She then went into the kitchen and I watched her cook a meal for herself.

Yep, this is definitely going to be a rough experience. And I mean it figuratively and literally because I touched the bedding and it's in a horrible condition. Despite it separating my soft baby skin from the wooden crib, it's feels very uncomfortable.

With nothing better to do, I mentally thought **[Observe]** on my crib mate and the bedding I'm laying on.

**Worn-Out Teddy Bear**

**-The bear looks sad, there's a rip in its stomach, and the stuffing is coming out like its bleeding.**

**Overused Bedding**

**-There's several weird yellow stains on this white bedding.**

Seriously?! Talk about too much information.

So I can see the details of objects, but couldn't gleam any information on a person. I'll either need a higher leveled **[Observe]** skill or raise my character level.

Noticing my mother sit at the table with her meal inside a bowl, I used **[Observe]** again on the food she's eating.

**Simple Salad**

**-A basic salad that'll fill up the consumer for a while.**

It's not very plentiful and looks meager. Seeing her eat made me hungry as well and the only way to alert her was to cry loudly.

At first, it was awkward for me to be breastfed, but it was either suck that titty to live or die by starvation. And I'm not going to die because my mother's exposed breast.

When I was satisfied enough, I chose to fall asleep to pass the time after she placed me back in the crib. I then heard her whisper "Good night Genji."

Nothing really happened the next day or day after that because it was a boring cycle of eat, soil myself, move around, spam the **[Observe]** skill, sleep, and repeat the process over again.

Soon she went to work and the kind old lady who's our next door neighbor came over to babysit me. Doing my usual shtick, I tried to see her information only to see nothing as usual.

**Name:** ?

Basically, she's here to take care of my needs until my mother comes back from work. No, I did not breastfeed off the grandma. Get your mind out of the gutter!

She did however prepared some baby formula in a bottle whenever my tummy rumbled for nutrition. Feeling curious, I tried to gleam some information on the formula itself.

**Cheap baby formula **

**-Formula has barely any nutrients needed to promote healthy growth for a newborn.**

**+Staves off hunger for 4 hours.**

To say that the formula was bland was an understatement. It had absolutely no taste whatsoever. Guess I'm going to get my nutrients from my mother.

Still. It's best to drink till I'm full. Who knows whenever she'll come home from work?

Several hours went by and mother finally arrived home. She looked like she was down in the dumps and upon seeing me changed her frown upside down. It was like I'm her personal ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.

I thought I'd hear the old lady mention my mother's name when she came in, but all she did was call her "Dear." Then the cycle started all over again.

As the days go by, I noticed her being very thrifty and made it a habit to save money via various ways. One such way was using cheap cloth bought from a thrift store as diapers. Another was having the granny take care of me.

It's a very cheap solution rather than paying money to a daycare, the granny takes care of me when mother is out. In exchange, the granny gets to spend time with me because she likes to play with children.

* * *

**6 Months Later**

After six months of continuous observation and having the subtitles on, I could hear my mother being stressed out. She cried a lot and kept talking to herself about the unstable jobs and fluctuating income at night time.

She said she's a talented chef, but nobody's offering a chef position. I learned that most of the money she had in savings was used to relocate to Suna and to pay off the hospital fees of my birth.

She mentioned that if this trend continued, she wouldn't have enough money to take care of my needs like food, clothes, and supplies past my first birthday.

It felt like I was watching a heart wrenching documentary of what it's like to watch a single mom working many jobs to support her child all happening before me. She made no mention of my father at all and I can conclude that he's dead.

Something in my mind snapped seeing such a desperate situation. It's been six months and I'll have to see this for the next several months or years. really is hard on the heart.

I made a resolution to myself that I would consume everything she provided for me and to make her life easier by not crying at night. Only crying when I needed something to be done that can't be helped.

It's not like I can control my bladder movement as an infant anyway. A firm resolution that I planned on keeping unlike those half hearted resolutions where I say "I will lose weight and eat healthy this year."

As I grew older, she tried to teach me how to speak my first word to be 'Mother'. I would try but I only got the first syllable right.

I'm pretty sure that there was several times where my normal baby façade failed and my mother heard it when I tried to say words she didn't teach me yet. But I didn't care because being a baby is boring.

I know that I was a lazy couch potato back on Earth and I loved to lay down all day, but this shit is unbearable. There's no TV or source of entertainment other than the music playing in the background.

The original sound tracks I listened to was **[Morning]**, **[Daylight of Konoha]**, **[Naruto's Daily Life]**, and **[Evening]**. But after hearing the same thing for the 300th time, it became annoying. So I went into the Options to turn off the Background Music.

Nothing of note happened until my first birthday.

* * *

**6 Months Later**

One day, I woke up and a message greeted me on.

**It's your first birthday!**

** +25 HP and +****25 CP!**

**+1 to all stats!**

Ah?! No level up? Oh well, Character Status!

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya - **Class:** The Gamer - **Age:** 1

**Titles:** None

**Status:** Surprised. Normal.

**Level:** 0 - **EXP:** 0/100

**HP:** 95 - **HP Regen:** .1 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 190 - **CP Regen:** .6 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 1

**VIT:** 2

**PE:** 3

**WIS:** 6

**INT:** 4

**SE:** 10

**DEX:** 1

**AGI:** 1

**LUK:** 2

**Fame/Infamy:** 0/0

**Unspent points:** 0

**Money:** 0 Ryo

Looking at my one year old appearance on the character status screen, I observed an oddity. My hair color is dark blue, my eyes are yellow, and that I'm wearing cheap robes to cover up my body.

There's nothing odd about my clothes, but my hair and eyes certainly are. Hopefully, I'm not some bastard mix of a Uchiha and Kaguya with mutated yellow eyes or something.

If I'm from the Kaguya clan, how come I don't have the usual white hair trait? I'm sure Kimimaro had white hair, though the other clan members had a different hair color. Maybe it's a trait that only those who have the dead bone pulse all have white hair for confirmation?

Maybe my father's genes is the dominant gene, just like Naruto. Those of the Uzumaki Clan usually have red hair, but Naruto received his father's bright yellow hair. I wonder what'll happen today on my first birthday?

When mom came home that day later than usual, I notice her hiding something behind her back with a joy. She chirped "Happy birthday Genji" and presented me a stuffed animal doll shaking it in front of me to get a reaction.

I responded with managing to clearly say "Mother" loudly without my vocal chords butchering the word. She was joyful that I managed to say my first word making today all more memorable to her.

Regarding the toy doll she bought, I found it ironic that the doll its a tanuki, which is the biju of Suna. I then used **[Observe]** and saw its description.

**Brand New Tanuki Doll**

**-A beige-brown stuffed animal that looks like a Tanuki, but has a zipper mouth and can function as a wallet by inserting money into its mouth.**

**-For some reason, it wasn't popular in the store and was marked 99% off. _I wonder why?_**

So if Naruto has his Gama-chan wallet, then I have something similar respectively. I think I'll call it Tanu-chan. This wallet would certainly be useful in the future. People will wonder if I can pull money out of thin air to pay for things and think I have a bloodline limit of making money out of nothing.

Throughout the following days, I would repeat several other words she tried teaching me to bring her mood up. I thought these happy times would last, but my way of living turned upside down around one month later.

* * *

**One Month Later**

Something must have happened at mother's latest job. She's crying at night a lot more often.

She talks about Suna's slowly failing economy and how hard it is to get and keep a job. Sometimes when she looks at me, she seemed to be struggling with inner turmoil on something.

But from my view point, it probably has something to do with my future.

Waking up the next day, she dressed me up, gave me Tanu-chan to hold, and picked me up. Apparently we're going somewhere and my pessimistic instincts are telling me something bad is going to happen to me.

I finally found out the reason after 30 minutes of slow walking and it was some building I don't recognize. Mother was in deep thought mulling over whether to enter the building or not to. So I guess it's the orphanage.

Entering the building, I see kids of all ages from one to four in a nearby room littered with toys and she was walking to the front desk. This place could either be a daycare or the orphanage. It couldn't be the daycare because the old lady does their job for free.

If I'm going to be put in the orphanage, then I want to know my mother's name at least. I just hope that my 'Observe' skill is high enough to give me the information I want.

I spent a year spamming that skill and it recently became level 10 yesterday. Observe.

**Name: **Miya Kaguya

Finally! So her name is Miya and she's a Kaguya alright. But what's a member of the Kaguya clan doing here in Sunagakure for?

Hmm, didn't the voice say it'd influence certain events to accommodate my presence? That must be the reason.

Looking around, I noticed Miya signing some papers and conversing with the head caretaker. Despite not being able to read what she's signing, I could read the conversation between the two because of the subtitles.

To summarize what I've learned, Miya got fired from one of her jobs that provides most of her income. So now she's relying on supplementary jobs that can barely take care of herself.

Without that job, she couldn't take care of both of our needs past my 1st birthday. I guess my birth really did put a final nail in her saving's coffin.

Before I was handed over to the caretaker, my mother looked straight at me with tears in her eyes. She said with regret "I'm sorry Genji, please forgive for doing this. Here at this place, you'll be able to eat more and have decent clothes than if you lived with me."

She really does care about my wellbeing. At least she didn't give me up because I was abnormal, a monster, or annoying.

"Should I ever get a job that I know will be stable, I'll come back to readopt you so we can live together again. Goodbye Genji."

Miya kissed my forehead, gave me to the caretaker, and left the building. Turning my attention to the young lady holding me, I used **[Observe]** on her.

**Name: **Eri

Hmm, she looks to like she's in her late twenties. Eri then proceeded towards the playroom and set me down. A coworker of hers asked about my sleeping arrangements, and Eri left along with Tanu-chan to make sure I have a place to sleep tonight.

On her way to the bedrooms, orphans of all ages greeted her with respect, gratitude, and happiness. The atmosphere was really friendly and the other caretakers were kind too.

I activated **[Observe]** on them and saw their names too.

**Name:** Haru

**Name:** Kari

Haru was a middle aged lady and Kari was in her late teens. I stayed away from the other playmates as some were slobbering on each other.

Soon, Eri picked me up and placed me in a high chair repeating the same thing with other one year olds feeding us some baby food. Mother was right that it's more nutritious compared to what I ate back at home.

Soon it became evening and she placed me in a crib where my Tanuki doll is. I wasn't big or old enough to sleep on a bed, so another crib is my sleeping area. Luckily enough, I had the thing to myself.

As usual, I utilized **[Observe]** again to see the bedding's information.

**Decent Bedding**

**-There are faded brown and yellow stains on this soft bedding. It provides some comfort.**

Guh! Too much information again!

I think I'm going to be sick. Oops, threw up on the bedding.

"Waaah!" Somebody clean this and me up. I don't want to sleep covered in vomit.

* * *

Time moved on and Eri and the other caretakers assisted with my daily needs. Eri was special in a way that she could connect with all children and I could see why everyone in the orphanage likes her.

She treats us as one large family so whenever it's somebody's birthday, we all celebrate it. Those who are old enough sing the happy birthday song and play games with the birthday boy or girl.

There's no cake mind you, but it's the thought that counts.

One day out of the blue, Suna-nin visited the orphanage. I panicked for a moment thinking they came here to adopt me because I was super special, but boy was I wrong.

The gist of their conversation between the ninja and the caretakers was a recent law ordered by the Kazekage that affects all orphans. The Kazekage and Shinobi Advisory Council passed a law stating that any orphan who are four years of age will be conscripted into the Ninja program.

They'll be relocated from the orphanage and placed into an apartment complex along with a stipend to teach them how independence, self reliance, and money management. They'll then attend the Ninja Academy, instead of a regular civilian school.

Those that don't make the cut will be dropped out of the Ninja Program and attend the Civilian Academy. Though I'm pretty sure Eri and the others will miss everyone who leaves and will want them to come back to visit frequently.

The leader's reasoning for implementing this law is to bolster and recover Suna's shinobi forces after the 3rd Shinobi world war just in case of an invasion by Iwagakure or Kirigakure. But mainly the threat of Iwagakure because there's some deep seated hatred between the two nations.

But I see what they're doing. By giving the orphans a personal room for their own and a stipend for necessities, this will lessen the burden on orphanages. It's also the best time to start the brainwashing process and instill some beliefs, when they're young and ignorant.

Another reason they initiated this program is to find someone that has natural talent or a prodigy because there hasn't been a famous shinobi from Suna since Sasori. It's like they're gambling on the idea that out of 100 random orphans, there'll be a few that are diamonds in the rough.

It even reminds me of that anime **[The Legend of the Legendary Heroes]** because orphans are expendable. Nobody wants them, nobody will miss them if they die, and they cost money and resources to take care of.

The law's duration will remain in effect till Suna's shinobi force is restored back to normal. All because Suna lost big time in the war and is suffering from the consequences today.

Knowing my luck and Suna's slow dwindling economy, my mother won't be coming back to adopt me by the age of four. Thanks to the adult's conversation, I now know an estimate of what timeline I'm in.

I'm in a period somewhere after the 3rd Shinobi War and before the Suna and Oto alliance to invade Konoha. The exact estimate is unknown.

However, I miss my mother. It's been several weeks since she dropped me off and I wonder how she's doing.

**Major Quest Alert!**

**A Reunion with Mother Miya**

**Don't meet with or talk to your mother before you graduating from the Ninja Academy.**

**Quest Rewards: **A choice to live together with Miya and +5000 EXP.

**Quest Failure:** You'll never see her again.

I guess fate really is telling me to become a shinobi. If that's the case, then I'll become one.

I don't have to worry about Danzo kidnapping my little ass for his ROOT program if I'm in Suna, so I'll reveal my genius when we learn about Chakra at the Academy.

Huh? WAIT A MINUTE!

Assuming I have the dead bone pulse of the Kaguya Clan, then I have someone even worse than Danzo after my ass. It's going to be Orochimaru and his lackey Kabuto!

If I reveal my bloodline, I'll be Orochimaru's future body replacement. Since I'm a healthy boy with no deadly sickness unlike Kimimaro, I'm a juicy target for the Sanin.

No... Even if I don't reveal it, Kabuto has infiltrated multiple villages due to his ROOT training. Then there's the possibility I'm in Naruto's generation meaning I'm eligible to receive his curse mark.

Well that's just Fan-Fucking-Tastic! I'm only one year old and already have someone I know of who will definitely target me in the future.

Shinobi need all the strength, skill, and knowledge they can attain to ensure their continued survival and mission success. Especially with all these overpowered characters running around with their powerful mass destruction or unique hax abilities.

I hope the characters here aren't too smart compared to their canon counterparts. What if Tobi decided to use his warping ability to assassinate upcoming stars that are new in the Bingo Book?

What if Deidara wasn't arrogant or prideful and carried several bags of detonation clay, instead of one? What if they differ from usual and send four people to capture a Jinchurikki instead of two?

My presence in this world could change the story and plot for Naruto. In fact, it already has because I'm in it.

Reviewing all my options on what to do now and in the future, I've made my decision. I refuse to be one of those people who believe the philosophy of "I'll stay here in the background and everything will be fine."

I refuse to remain weak with a stunted skill set to avoid being a Gary Stu. I refuse to remain a weak ass bystander, live on scraps, and live in the poor house like a common civilian.

A self-insert original character can only be a support role? Fuck that shitty idea! I'll be the damn Jack of All stats and skills to ensure my well being in this particular world.

In fact, what if I'm in an alternate universe where one of the canon characters died because of my refusal to interact with the plot? I could be in a place where Sunagakure is severely shafted by Konoha compared to its canon counterpart. Instead of five major hidden villages, it'll only be four.

I HAVE A DREAM! That one day, I'll be strong enough to rake in the money, bring my mother out of a life of poverty, and become an S-rank ninja.

Even though S-Rank ninja attract fame and enemies, nobody thinks of messing with them unless they have a death wish. I know I won't become powerful enough to defeat Orochimaru at 12 years old, but I will become powerful after that.

Gaara became a Kage level shinobi around 15 years old. If he can do it, then with the powers of **[The Gamer]**, I'll be Suna's first ever God of Shinobi by that age. You can bet on that!

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**This chapter is meant for setup and world-building purposes.**

**I thought about skipping the growing up years, but decided against it because Genji is growing up in Suna.**


	3. Life in the Orphanage

**Disclaimer:** **Familiar characters and references you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Life in the Orphanage**

**Year 1 to 2**

Determined to become an S-Rank shinobi, I formulated a mental to-do list to ensure my schemes of power and self-preservation will happen. Every S-Rank has some unique ability or something that gives them immense power or an edge that separates them from the lower tiered ninja.

So far, this is a list of what I plan on doing before I'm enrolled in the Ninja Academy.

**1: Attain a flexible body that rivals Orochimaru by doing several stretching exercises, when I wake up in the mornings or before any physical activities.**

**2: Create many useful skills and level them up as much as possible.**

**3: Learn how to meditate and feel the Chakra inside the body. Don't mess around with it or face the possibility of stunting the body's Chakra Coils.**

I don't have to defeat Orochimaru when I'm 12. I just have to run away from him successfully without getting marked by his curse mark. Should I mess up on my character build, I can always reload to an earlier save file.

But my first main priority is learning how to walk and maybe gain some stat points hopefully. Despite knowing how to walk, my current body doesn't have my previous muscle memory. I even received a quest with that objective.

**Major Quest Alert!**

**The Little Boy That Could**

**Take your first steps and walk upright on your own**

**Quest Reward: **+20 EXP and +1 AGI.

**Quest Failure: **None

I can't become a powerful ninja if I can't walk properly. Every time Eri, Haru, or Kari removed me from my crib and placed me in the playroom, I spent most of my time learning how to stand.

If I couldn't stand after multiple failures, then I would just crawl around to build up my strength. Amongst my peers around my age, I was one of several showing initiative in trying to learn how to stand and walk.

Eventually, I managed to learn how to stand and the next step was to walk a couple of steps. Which I accomplished a day later.

**Quest Complete!**

**+20 EXP gained.**

**You gained +1 AGI!**

Wonderful! I can feel the difference already from the AGI and walked seven steps before falling. Eri and the others will frequently read us books trying to teach us some basic words and such.

Then my second birthday came by and I received more boosts to my stats.

**It's your second birthday!**

** +25 HP and +****25 CP!**

**+1 to all stats!**

Character Status.

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya - **Class:** The Gamer - **Age:** 2

**Titles:** None

**Status:** Normal

**Level:** 0 - **EXP:** 0/100

**HP:** 130 - **HP Regen:** .15 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 235 - **CP Regen:** .7 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 2

**VIT:** 3

**PE:** 5

**WIS:** 7

**INT:** 5

**SE:** 12

**DEX:** 2

**AGI:** 3

**LUK:** 3

**Fame/Infamy:** 0/0

**Unspent points:** 0

**Money:** 0 Ryo

Thus for today, I was the birthday boy and everyone celebrated. I even got a little extra serving for dinner as my present.

* * *

**Year 2 to 3**

A month after I turned two years old, Eri deemed me ready to participate in a learning class. She gathered everyone of my age group who showed enough mental development to form a kindergarten class.

During these lessons, she taught us simple vocabulary, sing songs easy to remember, the alphabet, symbols, colors, and numbers. Another thing we learned are the months of the year and told everyone the date of their birthday.

For me, she said mine was on December 15.

In my opinion, she's an engaging teacher who makes learning fun. Soon I was able to recite the things she taught us with the proper pronunciation. I'll sometimes make an error or two, but she'll point out my mistakes.

Whenever I could, I asked one of the caretakers to teach me more words, speaking, reading, and more. They saw I was someone who loved learning and very eager to know more information.

They indulged my requests whenever they were free and I made sure not come across as needlessly annoying to them. In fact, they even went to the library to pick up some more books so we'll hear a different story during reading time.

I grasped how to speak in small sentences of this world's common tongue. I also turned off the subtitles after I learned what the words looked and sounded like, but would turn them back on whenever I encounter an unfamiliar word and have the caretakers repeat that word out loud to me.

Frankly, if I didn't have this subtitle feature, then learning this language would've been a pain in the ass. Instead of focusing on playing the game, I'd be stuck trying to figure out which symbol is which.

Periodically, I believe they think I'm a black sheep of my age group. I'm showing more interest and initiative to absorb knowledge than others who prefer to play around.

As we aged a bit older, Eri allowed us to read and touch the simple books that belong to the orphanage ourselves. Though she gave us a warning to be careful with the library books and only allowed us to read them on one condition.

Only if we showed to the adults that we can handle reading a book without damaging it too much. The orphanage could pay the penalty fee for damaged books, but might result in less food to eat.

Some of the older kids were horrified by the idea of less food to eat in their tummies, so they treated the library books like it's a fragile ceramic vase.

After I managed to read one book from start to finish, I received another quest.

**Major Quest Alert!**

**The Little Boy That Could Part 2**

**Read out loud all the books the orphanage owns and the books borrowed from the library. [0/25]**

**Time Limit: **Before the library books borrowed are returned to the library.

**Quest Reward:** +20 EXP, +1 INT, and the **[Reading]** skill.

**Quest Failure:** None

A chance to increase INT and a skill for a reward? Hell yeah! Thus I started my reading quest to finish all the books in this building starting with the borrowed books.

To build up my reading and language skills, I would repeatedly read a book from start to finish whenever some books I wanted to read are unavailable. I had to wait patiently for the other kids to finish or get bored of the books I needed.

Once in a while, I'd forget what a certain word meant. But Eri and the other two were there if I needed assistance remembering what the words definition is.

After two weeks, I finally managed to finish the 25th book and satisfy the quest objective. Just barely though because the library books would've been returned back tomorrow.

**Quest Complete!**

**+20 EXP gained.**

**You gained +1 INT!**

**Ding!**

**A skill has been rewarded from reading and understanding the contents of books.**

**Reading (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill allowing the user to read faster and quickly comprehend and understand a book's contents. **

**+1% WIS**

**+2% reading speed and comprehension.**

What a useful skill. I'll be sure to raise it whenever Eri brings back some new books or takes me to the library. Cause I've seen her take the older kids for a fieldtrip and I don't qualify despite my mental development. The rules are rules as only three year olds and up can go.

The one thing the orphanage had that my mother's apartment didn't have was a backyard playground to play in. It wasn't a very big space, but it was enclosed by tall clay walls around seven feet high along its perimeter to prevent us from wandering away.

The ground was a mixture of sand and soil, so we could play back there without having to worry about injuries. So I used the time outside to run around.

I didn't do anything drastic like Might Gai's physical regiment because I could potentially stunt my growth. I ran for about five minutes and was rewarded with a skill.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created from running around the playground area.**

**Running (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill representing how fast and far you can run, while using less stamina.**

**+1% VIT and AGI.**

**+2% ****increased movement speed and decreased stamina used when running.**

Alright! Now to level this up as much as possible before Eri makes us go back in. Unfortunately, there was an approaching sandstorm so everyone had to go back inside the building.

Whenever the weather was alright and it was time of the day to play outside, I would use that time to run around leveling my skill.

But that wasn't the only skill I learned that year. I was taught how to use utensils like the fork and spoon. Next we were taught how to hold and use chopsticks.

Of all the utensils invented to eat rice, how did two sticks win? It was very difficult at first to grasp food with them, but I managed to learn eventually.

Luckily for me, Eri cooked the rice to be extra sticky and it was easy to clump several pieces together. She did scold me one time for what looked like I was playing with my food.

In actuality, I was practicing wielding my chopsticks to lift one grain of rice and guiding it to my mouth without dropping it. When I successfully managed to do so several times later, I was alerted with a notification.

**You earned +.5 DEX for your efforts!**

Seeing the message, I wondered why I only got .5 instead of 1. Is it because I need to do repeat the same thing with my left hand or because I'm not old enough?

Then I remembered the Game Manual stated that any activity where I use my hands raises my DEX. What if I trained both hands to wield chopsticks? So I trained my left hand and was able to do so after a couple of weeks passed.

**You earned +.5 DEX for your efforts!**

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to perform an action with either hand.**

**Ambidextrous (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-You are able to wield items and perform actions naturally with either hand. **

**+0.5 DEX**

That's one hell of a useful ability there. If my dominant right hand became disabled in battle, then I wouldn't be totally useless and have my left hand to fight with.

Guess I'll train this skill by alternating which hand holds the chopsticks every time I eat. Now I have three skills that I can focus my efforts to level as much as I can.

However, something unexpected happened after a couple of months passed by. This something was a roadblock on my skills.

According to what I'm seeing, there are some skills that requires you to be old enough or your body developed enough to continue leveling a skill. This limit was affecting my **[Running]** and **[Ambidextrous]** skills.

* * *

**Running (Passive) Level: 8 EXP: 9.99%**

**-A skill representing how fast and far you can run, while using less stamina.**

**+8% VIT and AGI.**

**+16% increased movement speed and decreased stamina used when running.**

***Cannot increase levels in this skill until you become 4 years old.***

**Ambidextrous (Passive) Level: 8 EXP: 9.99%**

**-You are able to wield items and perform actions naturally with either hand. **

**+4 DEX**

***Cannot increase levels in this skill until you become 4 years old.***

* * *

Because of this physical limitation crap, I've decided to focus on leveling **[Observe]** and creating other skills. Thank God that **[Reading]** wasn't affected by this level cap.

Right now, my **[Reading]** skill is at level 3. Eventually, my third birthday came and I gained more stats.

**It's your 3rd birthday!**

**+25 HP and +25 CP!**

**+1 to all stats!**

Character Status.

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya - **Class:** The Gamer - **Age:** 3

**Titles:** None

**Status:** Normal

**Level:** 0 - **EXP:** 40/100

**HP:** 168.2 - **HP Regen:** .216 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 287.8 - **CP Regen:** .824 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 3

**VIT:** 4 + (4 X .08) = 4.32

**PE:** 7.32

**WIS:** 8 + (8 X .03) = 8.24

**INT:** 7

**SE:** 15.24

**DEX:** 4 + (Ambidextrous 4) = 8

**AGI:** 4 + (4 X .08) = 4.32

**LUK:** 4

**Fame/Infamy:** 0/0

**Unspent points:** 0

**Money:** 0 Ryo

* * *

**Year 3 to 4**

This year, I initiated a spiritual training regiment because I believed the limit only affected my physical skills and not the mental ones. So the plan is to build up my spiritual side of Chakra by focusing on some activities which are meditation, yoga, and stretching exercises.

Now I don't know much about yoga, but I'm just going to wing it by copying the balance poses I remember seeing the Wii Fit Trainer do. I thought up of this training plan after Eri took us on a fieldtrip to the local library and a I read certain book.

In the children's section, I found a book on the shelf that shouldn't belong in that particular section. If I was reading the title correctly, then the book I was holding was a philosophy book written by the Ninja Monk Lao Z.

Opening the book on the table, I skimmed through it to see if there's anything useful. But I couldn't read anything past the first couple of pages because the sentences were too complicated. I could translate the sentences on the first page, but it would take a long time.

So by the time it was time to leave the library, I just barely finished translating one sentence and it was a quote. The quote was "He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty."

Right below the saying had a picture of a man sitting in a lotus position with his eyes closed.

The quote reminded me of those who meditated and became strong like the Sannin of Konoha and Naruto. How else did Naruto become super strong after conquering his inner darkness at the Waterfall of Truth?

If I'm going to be strong, then I'll need to face my fears and problems. Or else I'll never become powerful shinobi and I'll be easy pickings whenever a problem comes up.

So it's best to learn how to meditate now instead of when I'm 15 years old. It may be boring, but the benefits outweigh the negatives. It might even be helpful if I can regenerate Chakra with it. If a hyperactive knucklehead can learn the meditation skill, then I can do it too.

At nighttime when everyone's asleep, I would attempt to meditate and try to enter the state of mind without any worries or unnecessary thoughts. This step was hard to accomplish because I had to sit still and not move a muscle at all.

Occasionally, I would fail to meditate and actually fall asleep in a sitting lotus position. After an hour of stretching exercises, I received one of the three skills I'm looking for.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to flex and bend your body.**

**Flexibility (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Allows the human body to become more flexible.**

**+.5% Evasion. **

With that done, now I need to do some yoga poses to see if I'll get another skill. For the next few nights, I practiced maintaining a balancing pose like standing on one foot without losing my balance.

After managing to stay in a position for 30 minutes without falling, I awarded with another skill.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to maintain your sense of balance.**

**Balance (Passive) Level 1: EXP: 0.00%**

**-Allows the body and mind to maintain a sense of balance when standing, moving, or sitting still. **

**+1% decreased chances of slipping or falling over ****when traversing, standing, or sitting on uneven or unstable objects or terrain.**

Reading this skill's description, I could see that it's an essential skill to becoming a sage. Now the only thing I have left to learn is the meditation skill.

It took several months for me to finally get the meditation skill that I wanted to have. I thought my efforts would prove pointless, when I didn't gain the skill after an hour or even a month.

I thought maybe I wasn't applying myself hard enough, so I decided to up the ante on my meditation training. I practiced outside in the backyard when the weather was very hot and muggy and sometimes snuck out at night to meditate when it's cold.

From time to time during my supposed meditation, I'd feel a strange warm energy inside me while trying to enter a meditative trance. I already knew it was Chakra, since I felt no such thing back on Earth.

Apparently the reason why I couldn't learn the skill instantly was that I had to fulfill 3 conditions. The first was to learn not to move and sit still. The second was to enter a state of inner peace ignoring the loud sounds of the outside world. The third was combining these two together to form the **[Meditation]** skill.

But this is what I saw when the fruits of my labors presented itself.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to remain completely still and enter a meditative trance.**

**Meditation (Passive/Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill where the user enters a state of inner peace, remain completely still, and able to ignore sounds. ****The user becomes rooted in place, while meditating. **

**-Moving or taking damage by something will interrupt the meditation.**

**+.5 INT and WIS**

**Active Effect: +1% increase in CP Regeneration, while meditating.**

Oh! It's just like the **[Ambidextrous]** skill, except it increases both INT and WIS. Makes sense for it affects the spiritual side of Chakra.

Damn skill took so long to learn that my birthday is tomorrow. Falling asleep as a reward for my effort, I woke up to see the usual birthday message.

**It's your 4th birthday!**

**+25 HP and +25 CP!**

**+1 to all stats!**

Since I'm now four years old, I'm going to be enrolled in the Ninja Academy soon. Best to see my skills to see where I'm at. Character Status!

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya - **Class:** The Gamer - **Age:** 4

**Titles:** None

**Status:** Normal, +.5% Evasion.

**Level:** 0 - **EXP:** 40/100

**HP:** 204 - **HP Regen:** .27 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 339.4 - **CP Regen:** 1 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 4

**VIT:** 5 + (5 X .08) = 5.4

**PE:** 9.4

**WIS:** 9 + (Meditation .5) + (9.5 X .05) = 9.98

**INT:** 8 + (Meditation .5) = 8.5

**SE:** 18.48

**DEX:** 5 + (Ambidextrous 4) = 9

**AGI:** 5 + (5 X .08) = 5.4

**LUK:** 5

**Fame/Infamy:** 0/0

**Unspent points:** 0

**Money:** 0 Ryo

Hmm, I haven't saved ever since my first day on this world.

Pause. Save Data. Create Save File 2!

**Save Data**

**Save File 1: 1st Day of Life Mid-Tutorial**

**Save File 2: 4th Birthday Celebration**

**Save File 3: Empty**

Resume. As usual, everyone in the orphanage gave me well wishes. We then played some games like tag and I leveled up both **[Running]** and **[Ambidextrous]** to level 9.

I received an extra serving for dinner from Kari and Eri even gave me a hug as an additional present. Mainly because she and the rest will miss me when I'm forced to leave.

This became true on the morning of March 31. Three Suna-nins showed up to take me and any others who are four years old.

Eri announced the names of those who are leaving, which was me and two other boys I didn't care to talk to. Some were sobbing and saying "I'll miss you. Come back and visit."

She told us to gather our belongings and meet her by the front entrance. Going back to my bedroom, I grabbed Tanu-chan, shoved the item into my inventory, and advanced towards the main entrance.

The other two boys, Eri, Haru, and Kari were waiting by the door. Approaching the group, Eri crouched down so she's seeing me eye to eye and smiled.

She placed both hands on my shoulders and spoke "Genji, everyone here is going to miss you. Amongst the orphans that I've taken care of, you're one eager beaver who wanted learn. You're welcome to come by and visit anytime you feel lonely. Goodbye my little genius."

Then the other two caretakers, Haru and Kari, replied with their own sentiments.

"Take care Genji!"

"Good luck at the Academy!"

A genius huh? Well it was impossible for me to act like a normal boy anyways. There would have been a point in time to drop the act and reveal my true nature. Since my **[Observe]** has leveled up to level 24 two weeks ago, let's see if I can find some information about the three caretakers.

Thus I activated **[Observe]** three times to see their descriptions.

**Name: **Eri

**Level: **8

**Class: **Civilian

**Eri is the beloved orphanage's head caretaker and has a curious nature. Her responsibility is general duties and teaching kids basic education. She loves taking care of kids and has developed an interest in you due to your peculiar behavior and watching your unique 'nighttime' activities.**

**Name: **Haru

**Level: **10

**Class: **Civilian

**Haru is the orphanage's thrifty quartermaster and janitor. She is responsible for buying clothes, toiletries, beds, and any other items the little kids need. She in fact loves to shop searching for bargains and discounts at the market and tries to teach kids to adopt a thrifty spending habits.**

**Name: **Kari

**Level: **6

**Class: **Civilian

**Kari is the orphanage's main chef. She cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner that are nutritious for the building's residents. If any of the older kids show an interest in cooking, she'll show them some tips.**

WHAT?! Eri has been peeping on me, when I've been doing all that? I hope they teach how to sense someone's presence at the Academy.

Anyways! After reading their information, I felt compelled to show them gratitude for all the effort they gave into raising me.

"Thanks for taking care of me Eri. You too Haru and Kari. Goodbye!"

After our group left the building and approached the ninja trio, I turned around one last time to see everyone in the orphanage waving at our group. I waved back and will probably visit this orphanage again if I have a vacation day or holiday and nothing better to do.

Shifting my head back in front of me, I saw the two boys standing next to one ninja each. Walking towards the unattended ninja, the man who I'm assuming is the leader asks us all question.

"Are you all ready to depart?"

All three of us nod and the ninjas grab onto each of us hoisting our bodies into the air.

"Stay still boys, cause we're taking the fast way to your new home. If you're feeling scared, then just close your eyes and it'll be over in a moment."

A fast way to travel? Isn't that the high speed movement technique called Body Flicker or something?

Can I endure what I'm about to experience? I remembered riding on a slow rollercoaster once at some fair and became a little dizzy from it.

The leader then commands to his two subordinates in an authoritative tone "Let's go!"


	4. Ninja Academy Preparations

**Disclaimer:** **Familiar characters and references you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Ninja Academy Preparations**

**Eri's POV:**

Another parent came by the orphanage to drop off a child because of financial difficulties. That's the fifth one this year.

The name of this particular child left behind is named Genji. The mother Miya named him after a character believing he'll be talented.

Of course, all children are special and unique in their own way. But little Genji had an immense drive to learn unlike the others of his age group.

He repeatedly tried to learn how to stand on his own two feet and walk eventually succeeding in his task. After taking his first couple of steps, he giggled like he's proud of himself.

After we celebrated Genji's second birthday, he was old enough and showed enough mental development for him to listen to my kindergarten session to learn basic things. He listened to my lesson lectures on how to read, speak, and write with rapt attention.

I understand wanting to learn, but Genji is inquisitive about everything. He would read out loud all the books in the orphanage to practice his speaking and reading abilities.

Every now and then, he'll encounter a word that I haven't taught him or forgot the meaning of and will come running to the nearest adult asking "What's this word?"

In his quest to read out loud every book without making an error, I saw him waiting patiently for others to finish reading some books he hasn't read yet. If he the book he wanted was unavailable, he would reread a story he already finished. Such a nice and polite boy he is.

When he successfully read all the books without making a speaking error, he smiled like it was his greatest achievement of his life so far. In fact, every time he learned something new and be successful at it, he will be joyful.

I could imagine the words "Mission Accomplished" appearing above him every time he achieves an objective. After introducing him to the playground, he was a bundle of energy unleashed.

He ran around the playground until he tired himself out. Soon it came time to teach the kids how to eat on their own and Genji showed he could use a fork and spoon easily, but struggled with the chopsticks.

Once in a while, he'll get frustrated and just shovel the food in his mouth with a spoon. He wasn't the only one to struggle, but he managed to do it with his right hand.

As he got more used to it, he tried practicing by lifting a single slippery grain of rice that hasn't been cooked. I then scolded him just a little for playing with food. Then I saw him switch to his left hand and learn how to use chopsticks with that hand too.

To top it off, I noticed he switches his utensil hand every time it's time to eat. I thought it was weird for a moment, but concluded he's trying to figure out whether he's right or left handed.

That wasn't the only odd thing I noticed. One day, I saw him doing some stretching exercises before running about and wondered where in the world did he learn how to do stretching exercises?

The answer revealed itself when Kari stretched and flexed her body before playing tag with the children. To think he's copying our attitude and actions because we're his role models makes me proud of raising Genji and all the other children.

His odd habits intrigued me so much that I secretly spied on him, when he wasn't looking. Those sneaking tips from retired Kunoichi mothers who in their youth stalked their lovers/crush/husbands came in handy for this situation.

He plays with the other kids, but hasn't developed any sort of friendship. Is his mind growing so rapidly that it explains why he's so curious and hungry for knowledge? Maybe?

At nighttime, I'd take a peak and sneak on him to see if he's sleeping. Sometimes, I will hear him mumble and sleep talk random things. Most of it was gibberish, but some phrases that stuck out.

Such phrases included "Kill or be killed. Get strong, live long. Live and learn. Life is a game, play to win." The words he said made me remember his reaction when some shinobi came over to tell them stories.

Some three year olds asked the visiting shinobi "What's a ninja and what do they do?" The man didn't mince his words and bluntly told them "Ninjas are heroes and they beat the bad guys or die trying."

Most of the other kids thought ninjas are cool and ignored everything said after the word 'heroes' was mentioned. But Genji looked disturbed at the part of 'die trying'.

As smart as Genji is, I believe he figured out the cold reality of what a ninja really is. Seeing those who recently turned 4 years old leaving the orphanage must have had an effect on him.

If only these children be given a chance to enjoy their childhood, instead of being forced to grow up early.

Genji's behavior changed after I took him and some others for a field-trip to the local library. Everyone picked up a children's book and Genji found a philosophy book somehow mistakenly mixed in the kid's section.

He struggled to read some of the contents and dedicated the entire time there trying to translate what's on the first page. So determined that he didn't notice me standing right behind him.

The title was **[The True Path to Enlightenment]** written by Lao Z, a supposedly famous person in the past. He was a philosopher, religious founder, and a ninja monk. The sentence Genji was trying to translate was "He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty."

By the time it came to leave, his demeanor changed after he closed the book. Like he was planning to do something tonight.

Later on at that night, I took a peak in his room and saw him imitating the lotus position the figure sat in. But he failed because he drifted off into dreamland.

Time passed quickly and he seemed to struggle with the concept of not moving and ignoring outside noise such as his snoring roommates. Then he managed to get both concepts down, but it still needs improvement.

There was other things he did at night like stand in poses or balancing himself on one leg and placing the heel on the ankle. But his dedication to learning meditation finally paid off the day before his fourth birthday.

I congratulated Genji with a big bear hug as my birthday present for his hard work. But since he turned four, he's now going to be conscripted into the Ninja Academy.

I'm going to miss watching him grow up and succeed at various tasks. At least he'll be getting an education to satisfy his curious nature.

So I told him everyone will miss him and that he'll be a future genius in the making. He was surprised by my words, but he thanked me, Haru, and Kari for taking care of him before he said goodbye.

You're going to have to improve on your sensing Genji. If a common civilian like me could sneak on you, then you'll be in trouble when it's a ninja.

* * *

**Genji's POV:**

Just after the ninja said "Let's go", the scenery all around me turned into a sandy blur. It's like a first hand experience of being Sonic the Hedgehog after he does a sonic boom.

All three of us arrived at our destination in a few seconds and they dropped us onto the ground.

**You received the status effect (Motion Sickness: Attacks have a 25% chance of missing).**

**Due to [Gamer's Mind] the dizziness effect of (Motion Sickness) has been negated.**

Wow, this skill is quite overpowered. Checking the other two orphans, they were experiencing motion sickness.

Some of the ninja found it strange that I'm not heaving onto the ground like my fellow peers. But they chalked it up to me having my eyes closed.

The team's captain loudly declared "Alright kiddies! This place will be your new home! You're all quite lucky to live in a place that's only a few blocks away from the Ninja Academy. Follow us into the building so you can meet your new caretaker."

Checking out the building itself, it's five stories high, shaped like a cube, and in good condition. Everyone entered through the front door and we found ourselves inside the main lobby.

Sitting behind the front desk with a bunch of papers scattered about, there's a middle-aged man doing work. Observe!

**Name: **Katsuo

**Level: **10

**Class:** Civilian

**A diligent man in his late 30s who believes that "Good things come to those who work their asses off and never give up."**

Well that's good. Working hard and not showing any laziness will easily allow me to be in his good graces. I can easily take advantage of him and learn several skills too.

Just use the excuse 'I want to be a big boy and do it myself'.

**Ding!**

**[Observe]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Observe] has reached level 25 and a bonus effect has been granted.**

So what's this bonus effect I got then? Show Observe skill!

**Observe (Passive/Active) Level: 25 EXP: 0.15%**

**-Enables [The Gamer] to see and read detailed information of an object, person, living being, and etc he's looking at. The higher the level, the more information about your target is revealed.**

**+CP Cost: 0**

**Level 25 Bonus: You can now see the information of people's names, level, and special characteristic above their head. This feature can be disabled if its too distracting or enabled by mentally willing it.**

Looking at Katsuo again, I saw this hovering above his head.

**Hardworking Apartment Complex Owner**

**Katsuo**

**Level: 10**

Willing for it to be disabled for now, the captain announced our presence to the building's owner.

"Hey Katsuo! Here are the new brats assigned to your place. Could you sign our mission report confirming we performed the mission as stated? Thanks, have a nice day!"

The shinobi trio left and Katsuo stood up from his seat approaching us.

"So you three are my new tenants? Well then, welcome to my apartment complex kids!"

"My name is Katsuo and I'm the caretaker of this place. Each of you will be getting your own personal room to live in by yourselves and a monthly paycheck from Sunagakure to pay for living expenses, items for the Academy, and whatever else you need. I hope your potty trained or you'll have to pay me money to clean up your mess."

"We get our own rooms and we get paid money to go to ninja school?! Cool!" Exclaimed one of the two boys. The other nodded in agreement and I just remained silently still.

"Of course, though some features of the room will be disabled like the gas pipe connected to the stovetop oven. Wouldn't want you to accidentally blow everyone up because of your carelessness."

There goes trying to learn the **[Cooking]** skill by myself in my room. Guess I'll have to make Katsuo teach me himself.

"In addition, I'll be subtracting some money from your paycheck as payment for your room and board fee. You won't have to worry about cooking any food for yourself as the kitchen staff and I will be providing the meals for you."

The excitable boy in our group then shouted "Yay! Thanks mister."

"Follow me and I'll show you what you need to remember during your stay." He took us to the cafeteria where there are several people busy cooking lunch and spoke up again.

"Here is the cafeteria where you'll be eating your food. Meals will be served as buffet style and at 7:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 6:30 PM. Only pick up as much as you need cause we don't waste food here."

"Please be here on time or there won't be much or any food left for you to eat. Because its a first come first serve basis. Over here is where you pick up and leave behind your food plate."

"The next place to be seen is where the Ninja Academy is."

Following Katsuo outside his building, we turned to our right walking straight ahead for two minutes and arrived at the Academy building. I wonder if there'll be a kid form my age group who'll act like Zoro from One Piece and get lost despite the simple directions?

"Okay boys, this here is the Ninja Academy. We'll need to go inside to register you all for school."

Inside there was a lobby with a secretary person sitting behind the desk. She noticed us and simply said "Are they here to register for the Ninja Academy?"

Katsuo nodded giving her our information and the kunoichi started filling out the required paperwork. Soon the kunoichi finished processing all three of us and gave us our next set of instructions.

"You three are now registered in the Academy. Please be big boys and show up at the Academy courtyard for the entrance ceremony and sorting at 8:00 AM on April 10. That's when the first day of school starts."

**Ding!**

**You have been conscripted to the Suna Ninja Academy!**

**Gained Title: **Suna Ninja Academy Student

**Effects:** +20% proficiency learning Academy subjects and skills.

At least learning will be easier. Only a moron would choose to ignore this beneficial effect and spend a minimal amount of effort to train.

"Should you not show up on time, the Academy will send a ninja and you'll be in big trouble for being a bad boy. If you don't have any questions, then I'll see you next time."

The other boys shuddered in fear of being punished by a ninja and our group left the Academy. Inside the lobby after returning from our trip, Katsuo handed each of us a set of keys.

"This is your room key to your assigned room. You'll have to pay up for a replacement if it gets lost. Next up on the tour, I'll show each of you where your rooms are."

We walked up the staircase and he showed the two boys their rooms which are 201 and 202 of the 2nd floor. Mine was room number is 303 on the 3rd floor. Easy to remember right?

Not to mention it'll be helpful building up my physical condition and stamina too.

Subsequently, he showed us more areas of the building like rooftop, the kitchen, and the main floor bathroom. However, I was wondering where we'll get clean clothes since Eri isn't here to wash them.

So I felt the need to ask him immediately, "Mister Katsuo, where do we get our clean clothes from?"

He immediately replied, "That's the next place we're going to. The designated laundry area. From now on, you're all responsible for cleaning your own clothes. Ms. Eri will not be here to do it for you. So I'll teach you three how to wash clothes by hand."

The kid who was excited earlier now felt it's the end of the world, "But I don't want to wash my clothes. Hey mister, isn't there washing machines to do that?"

"Sorry kid, but washing machines are too expensive to buy as you'll only find those from rich people. So pay attention as I'll only do this once. Water is a too precious of a resource here, so don't waste it. Got it?!"

All three of us state out loud "Yes" to confirm we were listening. So he showed us how to do laundry using soap, washboard, tub, and other tools. Then he made us clean a full set of clothes including somebody's dirty boxers.

After finishing my portion of the clothes, I was rewarded with a skill.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to wash fabrics of all kinds and remove stains faster.**

**Laundry (Passive/Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Allows the user to wash clothes and remove stains efficiently, while the (Active) ability allows you to power wash those tough stains away.**

**+1% STR, VIT, and DEX**

**+5% increase in laundry speed**

**Active Effect: Power Wash - Doubles your current laundry speed for a flat cost of 25 CP per minute.**

***Washing a fabric longer than needed will reduce its durability by 2%***

It was a little annoying listening to the other two kids whining about doing hard work, but we finished up. Then we cleaned ourselves off before returning back to the main lobby to receive one more thing.

There he gave each of us an envelope. I opened it up to take a peek inside to see some money.

"This is your stipend payment for the month. I've already deducted the room and board expenses from it."

"Don't spend it all in one place now. If you don't feel comfortable holding money yourself, then I can hold onto it for you."

The two boys asked Katsuo to hold their money for them, since they don't know the value of money yet. On the other hand, I kept my money. He raised an eyebrow at my decision, but just shrugged it off.

"By the way, every resident here will receive one roll of toilet paper per week and laundry soap is free. The only things you need to buy is your toiletries like tooth brush and stuff."

"You can now go to your rooms, hang out here in the lobby with the other tenants, or hang out with those in the cafeteria. You can also go outside to explore the village, but remember lunch and dinner will be served at 12:30 PM and 6:30 PM."

"Another thing is I'll be knocking on your doors at 7:00 AM to remind you about your first day of school a week from now. If you'll excuse me, I have some paperwork to finish up."

Finishing his guided tour and letting us do whatever we want, I proceeded to head inside my room on the 3rd floor to see the inside. The room reminded me of Miya's apartment, but this one is in good condition.

The only things of below average in quality are the dining table, couch, and bed. Before I did anything else, I locked the door thinking Katsuo will be peeping like Eri.

Opening the stipend envelope and pulling out the money, I counted how much money there was and it totaled 5,000 Ryo. Depositing the money in my inventory, a new message popped up.

**You've gained 5,000 Ryo!**

Haha! Now I don't have to worry about being pickpocketed because of my inventory storing my money and items in a pocket dimension. I then experimented trying to depositing and withdrawing money from Tanu-chan and it worked.

Currently on my HUD it's 1:15 PM, so I'll head down to the cafeteria to spam **[Observe]** on everybody I see. In the cafeteria, I spotted Katsuo and his assistants cooking a variety of dishes.

Spotting a line forming up, I join them and imitated the actions of the older boy in front of me. Apparently you grab a tray, take whatever food you want, and place them onto your tray. So I chose several dishes like rice, green beans, miso soup, and ate them all after sitting at a table by myself.

Looking back at the food served, there wasn't any kind of meat dishes offered. Maybe meat like beef and fish are considered a luxury ingredient?

The food was fulfilling and I put the dirty dishes in the designated spot. The lunch I ate made me think I could learn the **[Cooking]** and **[Dish Washing]** from Katsuo. But now that it's 2:00 PM, what else can I do?

Let's go explore the village of Suna. The purpose is to see the market prices on various items and estimate the value of monetary currency of Ryo.

I don't have to worry about getting lost from exploring the village because of the mini-map on my HUD. To describe the layout of the display I'm seeing, picture this.

There's my face, a green HP bar, and a blue CP bar in the top left hand corner of my vision. In the top right hand corner, there's a circular mini-map, my position on the map, compass direction, and above the map is the current time.

Entering the Food Market, I visited some grocery stalls and store buildings to browse their products.

Vegetables and fruit are priced between 8 to 85 Ryo. Meat is around 30 to 200 Ryo. At some restaurants, the prices on their menu ranged from 30 to 100 Ryo depending on the dish.

For example, I saw a bowl of ramen for 90 Ryo and a beef steak for 300 Ryo. Another is a large chocolate cake for 255 Ryo.

With an overall idea of how much food is going for, I entered the Shopping District that allowed solicitors to view their general products and wares. At the general store, their products ranged from 15 to 1,000 Ryo.

There is one weapons shop advertising a set of 10 kunai at 500 Ryo and 240 Ryo for re-sharpening them. Thanks to my findings, I've now have a general estimate from all the items, products, and services I've seen.

**For your wise decision of familiarizing yourself with this world's currency, you've gained +1 WIS!**

Another point in WIS? Okay.

Now how much income am I looking at? If I continue to receive 5,000 Ryo per month from my stipend, then I'll receive 60,000 Ryo per year.

What about the cost of food? Let's do some mental calculations.

A cooked meal from a restaurant costs 50 Ryo and I eat three times a day. That will be 150 per day and assuming a month has 30 days, then I'm looking at spending above or around 4,500 Ryo for food alone.

However, that amount can be reduced if I do the cooking myself in the future. Making it all the more important that I should learn the **[Cooking]** skill. On the other hand, I don't have to worry about food expenses since Katsuo and his staff are doing the cooking.

Going back to the general store, I picked up all the toiletries I'll need to buy like toothpaste, toothbrush, towels, rags, and etcetera. Also picked up some other items like a calendar, clock, and stepping stool to reach the sink.

Before checking out, I made sure to use **[Observe]** on everything to make sure I'm not buying any defective products.

Placing everything in front of the clerk, he responded "That'll be 400 Ryo boy." Paying the required amount, I left the store heading to the nearest deserted alley.

Looking around and checking nobody is around, I shoved everything I bought into my inventory space. So far, I haven't seen it reach its limit. Maybe it's unlimited?

Next on my agenda was buying some clothes and shoes.

As I continued wandering around, I found a thrift store and remembered how Miya saved money by getting my make-shift diapers from here. Besides, there's no point in buying expensive clothes if I'm going to outgrow them anyways.

Entering the establishment, I searched and used **[Observe]** to find the best child sized clothes and shoes that isn't crappy.

One hour of browsing later and these are what I found and decided to buy.

**Dark Blue Bandana**

**-A regular dark blue cloth.**

**+1 DEF when worn.**

**Child Sized T-Shirt**

**-A plain light brown T-shirt.**

**+1 DEF when worn.**

**Child Sized Cargo Shorts**

**-A khaki colored cargo shorts with lots of pockets to store things in.**

**+1 DEF when worn.**

**Child Sized Boxers**

**-Just regular colored underwear.**

**+1 DEF when worn.**

**Child Sized Shinobi Sandals**

**-Dark brown boots sized for a child's feet and provides comfort to your soles. It's designed for traveling on uneven terrain.**

**+2 AGI when worn.**

I've bought shirts in several different colors because I wanted to wear something different every day. I also picked up multiple sets of clothes too.

The bandana's purpose was to cover up the reddish circles above my eyebrows as it's a noticeable clan trait. I didn't have to worry about my reddish eyeliner because I've seen multiple people walking about with various war paint designs on their faces.

The clerk rang up my items and I owed a total of 850 Ryo. Paying the man and repeating what I did earlier, I ran back to my apartment room, locked the door, and dressed up in my new clothes.

To pass the time, I trained the **[Meditation]** skill until it became dinner time. After eating dinner and placing the dirty dishes in the drop off section, I approached Katsuo. He turned to me and asked "Is there anything you need?"

I asked with a curious tone, "Mister Katsuo, can you show me how to wash the dishes? I want to be a big boy, pretty please?"

Katsuo thought for a moment to decide whether he'll teach me or not. Then he nodded and said "I'll show you how to wash the dishes. Now come over here and let me show you how it's done."

He then found a nearby stepping pedestal for me to be able to see the sink and dishes in it. Then demonstrated and explained I needed to wash the dishes, pots, pans, and utensils properly.

He handed me a sponge and dirty utensils for my first test run. Of course he didn't let me wash something valuable first, that would be too risky. The first thing he made me wash are the utensils because even if dropped them, they wouldn't break.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to wash and scrub dishes, utensils, pots, and pans faster!**

**Dish Washing (Passive/Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Allows the user to wash dishes and remove burnt baked on food efficiently, while the (Active) ability enables you to power wash away those tough to remove food.**

**+1% STR, VIT, and DEX**

**+5% increase in dish washing speed**

**Active Effect: Power Wash - Doubles your current dish washing speed for a flat cost of 25 CP per minute.**

Finished with the utensils and placing them in the drying section, Katsuo inspected each one to make sure I didn't leave behind a single speck of left over food. Once his inspection concluded, he congratulated me for doing a good job.

"You've done a fine job washing these utensils. Could you tell me your name?"

"Genji."

"Genji huh?", muttered Katsuo. "Well then, Genji. If you want to, you can volunteer to wash the dishes until school starts."

**Quest Alert!**

**Katsuo's Offer**

**Katsuo has offered you the chance to wash the dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until school starts.**

**Bonus Objective: **Do the tasks assigned to you without whining or complaining.

**Quest Reward:** Increased relations with Katsuo and dorm staff.

**Bonus Reward:** Doubles the quest reward.

**Quest Failure: **None

**[Yes] or [No]?**

"Yes!", I said. Katsuo smiled in appreciation of my go getter attitude and told me to meet with him here in the same spot tomorrow.

Leaving the cafeteria satisfied with what I ate and gained, I saw the time is currently 7:20 PM. There's nothing much I can do except my usual routine of **[Meditation]**, stretching exercises, and balancing yoga poses until 9:45 PM.

At 9:45, I cleaned myself off and went to bed. As I laid on the mattress, I had several thoughts on my mind. What am I going to learn and who will I see a several days from now at the Academy?

* * *

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya - **Class:** The Gamer - **Age:** 4

**Titles:** **[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% proficiency learning Academy subjects and skills.)

**Status:** Normal, +1.5% Evasion, and +4 DEF.

**Level:** 0 - **EXP:** 40/100

**HP:** 206.5 - **HP Regen:** .28 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 384.25 - **CP Regen:** 1.51 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 4 + (4 X .02) = 4.08

**VIT:** 5 + (5 X .13) = 5.65

**PE:** 9.73

**WIS:** 10 + (Meditation 4) + (14 X .08) = 15.12

**INT:** 8 + (Meditation 4) = 12

**SE:** 27.12

**DEX:** 5 + (Ambidextrous 5) + (10 X .02) = 10.2

**AGI:** 5 + (Sandals 2) + (7 X .11) = 7.77

**LUK:** 5

**Fame/Infamy:** 0/0

**Unspent points:** 0

**Money:** 5,00 Ryo - (Toiletries 400) - (Clothes &amp; Sandals 850) = 3,750 Ryo

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I'd like to thank the guest for pointing out a potential plot-hole as I had stamina listed under the category of VIT in chapter 1.**

**llat-2: **No Han Jee-Han making an appearance in this or any characters from The Gamer, though I'll be using some of the skills from it like for example **[ID Create]**. Maybe even an offshoot of spinning mana arrow to make spinning iron sand nail, something like that.

**Kine X: **I didn't explain the **[Ambidextrous]** skill very well, So I've rewritten it.

**Kinunatzs**: The way I listed the skills and the way I worded it is why it looked like he didn't get **[Flexibility]** first. It should have been that he learned **[Flexibility]** first, **[Balance]** second, and then finally **[Meditation]**.

The wording was supposed to suggest that he learned these three skills at different times of the year. Thanks for your review and will use the advice you've given me in the next chapter.


	5. First Year at the Academy

**Disclaimer:** **Familiar characters and references you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: First Year at the Academy**

During the week of adjusting to living by myself at the dorm complex, nothing of importance happened except leveling my skills as usual. Thanks to Katsuo's quest offer, I can level up both **[Ambidextrous]** and **[Dish Washing]** at the same time.

On April 9th after dinner, I washed some dishes and finished the quest **[Katsuo's Offer]**. In addition to that, I fulfilled the bonus objective by remaining silent.

**Quest Complete!**

**Your relations with Katsuo and the dorm staff has increased by 100!**

Katsuo walked up to me after I finished and offered a continuation of washing the dishes. He said "Only for dinner though. You won't have enough time to wash dishes for breakfast and lunch because of school."

**Ding!**

**Quest Alert!**

**Katsuo's Offer Part 2**

**Katsuo has given you another offer to wash the dishes for dinner only because of time constraints.**

**Bonus Objective: **Do the tasks assigned to you without whining or complaining.

**Quest Reward:** Increased relations with Katsuo and dorm staff.

**Bonus Reward:** Doubles the quest reward.

**Quest Failure: **None

**[Yes] or [No]?**

"Yes!", I said accepting his offer. He's starting to like me due to the fact I'm the silent hardworking type.

Going to bed that night and reawakening at 6:45 AM, I saw a different message than usual greeting me.

**System Update!**

**Congratulations! ****The ability [Automatic Iron Sand Defense] has been modified!**

**Whatever actions you take will have an impact on the story and future events.**

**Automatic Iron Sand Defense (Passive) Level 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Whenever you feel you're in danger, this ability will summon nearby Iron Sand automatically from the environment to protect its master from physical harm as it has a will of its own.**

**+The black sand can be given a spoken or mental command to follow a specific order.**

**+Half of your total CP is used to soak the Iron Sand particles with your Chakra, the amount of sand that can be freely manipulated scales with your total CP, that same amount is also carried on or near your person, and the skill cannot be deactivated.**

**+10% attack damage and 3% particle speed.**

Examining the skill again, I saw I haven't used it even once. Mainly because I haven't been in any dangerous situations. I did panic about Orochimaru, but rationalized that it'll happen when I'm 12 years old.

Well then, let's take it out for a spin. Focusing on the ability, I tried making it appear above my right hand.

Automatic Iron Sand Defense!

The skill activated and some black sand appeared hovering over my hand. WAIT! If it said it'll be carried on or near my person at all times, then how the hell am I going to hide this?

Thinking about it, the amount was easy to hide in my pocket so I mentally compressed the sand into a small marble and let it fall into my hand. Hmm, feels like it's around one pound.

Depositing the marble into my pocket, the next task that needed to be resolved is shortening the skill's name.

Saying **[Automatic Iron Sand Defense]** is too much of a hassle for such a basic ability. I'll just shorten it by taking the first letters of each word and abbreviating it into **[AISD]**. Yeah, much better.

Opening up my character status to see the changes made, I saw my CP has been halved permanently.

**CP:** 191.88/383.75

No matter how much I waited to see if my Chakra points regenerated back to full, it never did. It sounds like a hindrance at first, but it allows me to manipulate some iron sand freely at no cost.

Pulling the black sand marble out, I tossed it and concentrated on manipulating it. Up. Down. Left and right.

As I moved the sphere, I'm looking at my CP bar and it's not decreasing. In exchange for half my Chakra, I get to continue using this overpowered defensive ability? I'm okay with that. I bet Gaara's Chakra isn't halved like mine because he's a Jinchūriki.

This situation reminds me of the Aburame clan. They give Chakra as rent payment for the bugs that reside in their bodies in exchange for their obedience.

Since the update claimed it's the first day I can actually affect the outcome of the story, I better make this point of time for my 3rd save slot.

Pause. Save Data. Create Save File 3!

**Save Data**

**Save File 1: 1st Day of Life Mid-Tutorial**

**Save File 2: 4th Birthday Celebration**

**Save File 3: 1st Day ever at the Ninja Academy**

Resume. After getting ready for the day, I greeted Katsuo and ate breakfast by myself. When the clock turned 7:45 AM, a quest popped up.

**Major Quest Alert!**

**Tobi, oops... I mean Genji is a good boy!**

**Go to the Academy courtyard before the clock turns 8:00 AM.**

**Quest Reward:** 10 EXP

**Quest Failure:** Decreased relations with the Ninja Academy faculty.

Dropping off the dishes in their proper place, I walked to the Academy without getting lost and arrived there at 7:47 AM. With a quest phrased like that, I was expecting an obstacle that would've extended my travel time.

**Quest Complete!**

**+10 EXP gained.**

In the courtyard, I saw multiple parents with their children talking with each other and idling about. There are a lot of orphans, civilians, and clan kids too.

Some of the children from the clans were acting haughty and showed disdain towards the other kids. One did so at me, but I eye rolled at his pathetic attempt in intimidation tactics which pissed him off.

Near the Academy's entrance was a tall stage meant for someone important to speak to the crowd. There was a nearby table that had brochures and pamphlets for the school rules and other information.

I grabbed one of each and read them over. Huh, that's interesting. The Ninja Academy operates on a trimester schedule.

The schedule looks like this.

**Ninja Academy Calendar Schedule**

**Summer Term: April 10 to July 31**

**Summer Break: August 1 to August 31**

**Fall Term: September 1 to December 21**

**Winter Break: December 22 to January 7**

**Spring Term: January 8 to March 31**

**Spring Break: April 1 to April 9**

This is going to take some time to get used to, since I'm more familiar with the semester schedule. What do they call this situation? I think it's culture shock.

The dates of the term exams are as follows: July 31, December 21, and March 31. The final grade is calculated by totaling these exams together and dividing by three.

The results of the term exams and final grade are posted in the courtyard for students and parents to see. They also post it on a designated wall inside the Academy's lobby if there's a sandstorm on that day.

In addition, the pamphlet listed the school rules as well. Most of it was typical do your best to learn crap. There were some that stuck out to me though.

**1: The Academy doesn't provide school prepared lunches. Please bring your own.**

**2: Students will undergo several regular medical exams.**

**3: Students will repeat the year if they fail to reach a passing final grade of at least 70%.**

Checking the medical exam and what they're going to do, a blood test isn't one of them. What a relief to not worry about my secrets being exposed yet.

The brochure showed a map of the Academy displaying where the classrooms and facilities are. There's several indoor training grounds so one can practice throwing weapons or exercise whenever there's a raging sandstorm outside.

Putting the brochure and pamphlet discretely in my pocket into my inventory, I needed to find out my class schedule. So before the entrance ceremony started, I checked in with one of the Academy teachers responsible for that.

The teacher asked with a disinterested voice like he didn't want to be here. "Name?"

"Genji."

The teacher glanced down on the list and responded, "Alright, your class is in room 101. Be sure to grab a brochure and pamphlet for directions to your class if you haven't done so."

Using the leftover time before the entrance ceremony began, I went around using **[Observe]** on everything and everyone I saw. Taking the chance of finding some familiar faces to befriend or manipulate.

There was some kids and adults from the Shirogane clan and Hoki family, but I don't know what they're is famous for.

Suddenly, the crowd went silent as the grave and directed their attention at the stage. Looking at the source, it was somebody pretty important and famous.

Up on the stage was the 4th Kazekage dressed in his formal robes and hat. He cleared his voice to get the crowd's attention and started his speech in a authoritative and firm voice.

"Good morning everyone, we're here today to start off a new school year. The main goal of the Academy is to prepare the mind and body to handle the tough training a ninja has to endure."

"I hope that by the time your children graduate several years from now, they'll bring success, glory, and fame to Suna. You're all vital to the defense of our village against foreign threats like missing-nin and internal threats like bandits inside Wind Country. That'll be all."

Everyone started clapping for the Kazekage's speech and another person came up to the stage. "Hello new students, welcome to today's entrance ceremony. My name is Eikichi Onizuma and I'm the Academy's principle. Now let me introduce your fellow teachers."

Onizuma then introduced us several teachers including new ones. As each one came up, I used **[Observe]** on all of them. One of the teachers introduced herself as Aki and that she'll be teaching students who were assigned to room 202.

Now that I know who to follow after this ceremony finishes, let's check her out. Observe.

**Name: **Aki

**Level: **58

**Class: **Low-Chūnin

**A young lady who likes to teach young children. When students don't pay attention to her or ignore her outright, she tends to be short tempered and will punish the entire class.**

The principle continued smiling with appreciation at the new female teachers like Christmas came early, but I knew better. It said in his description that he's a Taijutsu specialist and became a teacher so he could get close to the ladies. Especially the hot female teachers.

"Students, it's now time for you to go to the teachers you've been assigned to. Parents need to remember that school is over at 3:30 PM if you want to pick up your children when they're done."

When the ceremony concluded, I walked towards Aki and waited for her instructions. She then said to everyone who is in her class, "Please follow me to your classroom and sit wherever you want."

Aki says in a loud voice "This classroom will be the meeting place for our general education class for the rest of the year. Once you enter the classroom, please choose a seat and wait until further instruction."

Arriving in the classroom, the place looked like a college class with elongated wooden desks every three steps up. Seeing my options, I chose to sit at the back of the classroom next to the windows.

Why at that particular spot? Because important main characters always sit next to a window or near the back of the classroom.

After everyone found a seat, Aki said "Good morning everyone, my name is Aki and I'll be your teacher for this year. You can call me Aki-sensei or sensei. Before we begin, let's see who is here and who isn't."

Counting the number of students inside the classroom with me, it came around 30 students. There was nobody in my class I was familiar with like Temari or Kankuro.

Ten minutes later, she said "Seems like everyone is here and nobody skipped class. I will now write on the chalk board what you are expected to learn and remember by the end of the year. If you have any questions, please raise your hand and call out to me."

"Aki-sensei when will we learn how to use Chakra?", questioned a random young boy.

Aki replied, "You will learn about Chakra next year, if you pass my class. If you do, you can move onto the next step in the Ninja Program."

She then finished writing on the board of what we'll be learning.

**Core Subjects**

**1\. Reading**

**2\. Writing**

**3\. Arithmetic**

**4\. History**

**5\. Free period**

**6\. Geography**

**7\. ****Physical Education**

"We're going to begin class by reading chapter one of **[The Lizard Wizard in a Blizzard]**", Aki said. Most of the students around me pouted or groaned that none of the subjects are about ninja like Chakra or shuriken.

A six year old boy who looked out of place in our classroom of 4 year olds raised his hand immediately.

"Sensei! Why are we reading a basic book like this, when we went over this last year?"

"Daimaru! Although you may already know the material, some of your classmates are brand new to the Academy and I need to see their education levels. Older students like you need a refresher, ever since you failed my class two years in a row.", Aki exasperatedly said.

"To prove my point, do you know the name of the first Kazekage?", she stated to Daimaru.

The boy in question, scratched his head and said "Umm... I don't remember."

"See what I mean, Daimaru? This goes for everyone here. If you're having trouble with the learning materials, then please stay after class. It's okay to ask for help because it's my job to help you learn and succeed."

After reading chapter one and two of the book, we moved on to History. Aki skipped writing and arithmetic because she needed to give us time to buy paper and writing supplies.

History was my favorite subject so far, but you had to ignore the propaganda brainwashing crap they put in it. Namely because you don't see much world building of the other villages in the anime or manga.

**Pre-founding Sunagakure**

**During the Warring States Period, the harsh deserts of what eventually became Wind Country was full of different warring clans of desert dwelling shinobi vying for territory, resources, and reputation.**

**One day, a man named Reto rose up and conquered each clan and faction with his overwhelming power and mastery of Wind Release Jutsu.**

**Uniting them all under one banner, the various clans and leaders he defeated unanimously elected him as their leader, the Kazekage.**

**Thus led to the establishment of Sunagakure no Sato.**

Skimming through the history textbook Aki gave each of us that we'll have to return later, I found a page listing the Kazekages with their colored portraits included. Some of the words I couldn't understand yet, but I could give a general description on summary about them.

**Reto, the 1st Kazekage:** His appearance was fair skinned, brown spiky hair, a hairstyle similar to a pineapple like Shikamaru, and a dark face mask like Kakashi.

He is renown as the founder of Sunagakure by conquering the multiple desert tribes all over Wind Country and uniting them under one banner. The Jutsu he's most famous for are Wind Release: Blade of Wind and Wind Release: Pressure Damage.

**Shamon, the 2nd Kazekage:** A man with a bald head with a dragon tattoo wrapped around his entire skull and a portion of his face. He has hair, but his hairstyle is a mullet with no hair on top. A skullet?

He's known for being strong, using puppets to defeat his enemies, and the origin of the philosophy "Fufill the mission no matter the cost."

**Sobek, the 3rd Kazekage:** A man with dark blue spiky hair and narrow yellow eyes. He is hailed as the strongest Kazekage for his efforts in the 3rd Shinobi War and is renown for his manipulation of Iron Sand.

His fate is unknown ever since he disappeared five years ago on a secret mission with his elite bodyguards. He is currently presumed dead.

**Rasa, the 4th Kazekage:** The current Kage in power. A man with auburn hair, dark eyes, and a stiff strict countenance. He too uses the Magnet Release like his predecessor, but his version uses Gold Dust.

The 3rd Kazekage's appearance and abilities looked eerily similar to mine. Which led me to think that there is 99% chance that he is my father.

It also says he disappeared 4 to 5 years ago, which just happens to be concurrent with my age. The only differences I can see between us is my additional Kaguya clan traits.

I can't think of any other character in this universe that has dark blue hair and yellow eyes together. Maybe Sasuke Uchiha with his dark blue hair, but he didn't have yellow eyes.

**Ding!**

**By comparing the details of the history book's picture, ability description, and current genetic traits, you've figured out who your father is and earned +1 WIS.**

Well, I guess that solved the mystery of who my father is. Now I just have to wait a year so I can learn the **[Chakra Control Mastery]** skill and unlock my bloodline abilities.

"Great job everyone! It's 12:00 PM meaning it's your free period. You all have an hour to do whatever you like whether it's eating lunch, talking to other students of other classes at the school, playing, or making new friends."

"Orphans who live at the dorm complexes are allowed to leave the Academy grounds to eat their lunch. Please be back here by 1:00 PM or else you'll receive a warning. The next time you're late will be a detention.", said Aki to all the students leaving the classroom.

During the free period, I left the classroom and into the courtyard to see who I could befriend and who to avoid. I stayed away from the older kids and will only interact with them after I graduate from this general education class.

In the courtyard, I used **[Observe]** on everyone I saw and scoped out any potential students to befriend or enemies to stay away from. I even watched their general behavior for clues and found several potential candidates.

The first person I could befriend was an older boy named Shira with nobody hanging around him. He's tall for his age, has light skin, and spiky greyish hair combed backwards except for two bangs.

While he practiced his katas, most of his peers were making fun or taunting him saying he's a talentless loser and that he can't become a shinobi with Taijutsu alone. Their reason is because he sucks at Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. This guy is probably Suna's version of Rock Lee.

The second kid is the older kid named Daimaru who embarrassed himself earlier. He has very short brown hair, is slightly chubby, and isn't very bright in the head. Currently, he's busy chasing lizards and now he just speared one with a stick.

Watching where he's going, he walked towards a girl. Then I recognized her as a canon character from the information above her head.

**The Lonely Fangirl**

**Temari**

**Level: 9**

Oh it's a young Temari and all the other kids are staying away from her general area.

I have to say, Daimaru may not be smart, but he's the only one out of all the Academy's students not afraid to talk to Temari. Despite her status as the daughter of the current Kazekage, Daimaru is teasing her by shoving a dead lizard on a stick into her personal space.

Now let's check Temari's info. Observe.

**Name:** Temari

**Level:** 9

**Class:** Ninja Academy Student

**A lonely young girl who aspires to be a Kunoichi and is the 4th Kazekage's first born. She cares for her family especially her brother Gaara, but is fearful because of his random bloodlust and uncontrollable power. She appreciates Daimaru's presence because he doesn't care about her political status.**

Well, at least Daimaru is doing a good job reducing her loneliness. Then came the people I needed to stay the hell away from.

The first was a haughty girl with light blue twin tails. She had this domineering personality, a superiority complex, and seems to sneer mostly.

Her name is Saya and she demanded to be called 'Lady Saya' by the other students. There were only a few people that would hang out with her like her younger sister Sana. She has light purple hair, an appearance of a mean girl, and is basically a yes-man... I mean girl.

In their group was this weirdo named Mamushi who had a face mask covering the lower side of his face like Kakashi. His distinctive feature is that he's bug eyed and it's a little bit creepy. He's currently busy playing with some harmless snakes that he somehow managed to find on the Academy grounds.

He has a short temper and tends to complain with whatever Saya demands from him. Whenever he defies her order, Saya sends threatening glare and he capitulates easily. The kid folds faster than a lawn chair and obeys like a subservient whipped servant.

In the area by himself with the other kids staying away from is Kankuro. The information above his head is as follows.

**Child Hating Puppeteer Novice**

**Kankuro**

**Level: 7**

Whenever a kid younger than him passes nearby, he'll glare at them. If their age is the same as his or older, he has a neutral outlook. Observe.

**Name:** Kankuro

**Level:** 7

**Class:** Ninja Academy Student

**A young boy who is the second child of the 4th Kazekage and dreams of joining the puppet brigade of Suna. He despises younger kids because they remind him of his brother Gaara. He is conflicted as he cares for his brother, but is also fearful of his uncontrollable power and murderous moodswings.**

No point in trying to talk to him or the others I might befriend for now. Introducing myself out of nowhere to the older boys like Shira and Daimaru would be awkward, since I'm two years younger than them.

After leaving the Academy premises to eat lunch at Katsuo's dorm and returning to the Aki's class before the clock hit 1:00 PM, she then started teach us geography.

Geography was interesting mainly because I never bothered to look up the World Map of the Elemental Nations. The foreign countries that borders Wind Country are the following.

In the North are the countries of Fang and Claw. On the other side of these two countries is Earth Country, where Iwagakure is.

To the West is Bear Country. Rumors speak of a hidden village somewhere there and it's the Hidden Star Village.

The Land of Rain is Northeast and it's always raining there. It's also the main base of Akatsuki assuming my presence here didn't change their location.

East of Wind Country is the Land of Rivers. The two countries of Rain and Rivers separate us from the Land of Fire.

Across the sea to the Southeast is the Land of Tea, famous for exporting tea leaves and other tea related products.

There are no countries South of the Wind Country's border for its just an ocean. Though according to some explorers, there's a lost continent across the vast ocean.

During class, we were told that we need to memorize the names of the bordering countries and the locations of all 5 major hidden villages in each country.

"Okay everyone, follow me to one of the Academy's indoor training rooms. There we can start with your physical training to become a ninja." said Aki.

When she said "become a ninja", most of the class became excited and obeyed Aki's instructions without protest. Inside the indoor training room was a sandy ground laden with obstacles.

Aki said, "A person needs stamina to become a ninja, so we're going to do a lot of running and jumping over these obstacles. Now I want everyone to watch how to run a lap around the room."

She slowly ran one lap around the room jumping over several one foot-tall obstacles she met. When she came back to us, she said "Now I want everyone to continue running laps, until I say 'Stop'."

After I ran one lap around the room and jumped for the 10th time, I received an alert.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created from jumping a lot in the training room.**

**Jumping (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill representing how high and far you can jump, while using less stamina.**

**+1% VIT and AGI**

**+2% increased jumping distance and decreased stamina used for each jump.**

Another skill that increases VIT and AGI? Good enough.

After 15 minutes, she called out "Stop! Take a five minute break."

Haah, I'm tired. I sat down and tried to relax for a moment. Looking at the others, some were exhausted and were panting like a dog. To their horror, Aki then said "Break time's over, everyone start running!"

**[Running]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Jumping]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Jumping]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Running]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Jumping]'s level has risen by 1!**

We continued running and jumping for intervals of 15 minutes with five minute breaks till the time became 3:30 PM.

Out of our class, I was the only orphan of the class that managed to run and jump the entire class period with Daimaru and kids of shinobi parents. Some of the students were on the ground panting and others quit after at 3:00 PM cause they're too tired.

"Time! Okay everyone, this is the end of class for today. Please wait at the courtyard for your parents, unless you live at the dorms. Remember to be on time tomorrow, goodbye."

Before leaving, I asked Aki a questioned "Aki-sensei, are we allowed to use the obstacle course for practice?" I pulled the brochure out of my pocket connected to my inventory and pointed at the facility to her.

In turn, she replied "No, only those who pass the general education class can use the course for practice. So if you pass, you can use it next year."

Oh well, it was worth a shot. As everyone headed to the exit, I pondered what I was going to do for the rest of the day. I wanted to level up **[Running]** and **[Jumping]** till I hit the age level restriction, but there isn't a training ground for me to use.

So what can I do? Oh, the library!

Running to the library and arriving there three minutes later, I entered the establishment and started reading books from the children section. By 6:15 PM, I left the library and returned back to the dorm to eat dinner.

Upon finishing dinner, I washed some dishes and went back into my room to practice **[Meditation]** and **[Flexibility]**. At 10:00 PM, I fell asleep wondering if I made any impact on the story so far.

* * *

**1 Month Later: May 10**

It's been a month since I've attended the Academy and I finally figured out why I didn't gain very many stat increases in VIT. Despite all the running and jumping I've done in the physical education portion of class, one has to go above and beyond normal training.

Doing what's asked by the teacher only raises skill levels instead of stats. So if the teacher asks for 50 jumping jacks, then I need to do 100. If I'm going to increase my physical stats, then I need to channel Rock Lee and Might Gai in their over the top training.

It reminds me of the 'Overachieve mission' system from the MMORPG Archeage. Like if an old man gave you a mission where you pick up 10 mushrooms as your objective. Instead you pick up 20 mushrooms, you overachieved the objective and receive an increased reward.

Should I reload back to my 3rd save file for being a moron and not realizing this sooner? Not really, but if it took me two years to figure this out on the other hand, then I would certainly reload the game.

Occasionally, I would see Aki giving me silent praises and nods of approval. Other times, she thinks I'm overenthusiastic for my good.

When school was over, I'd go to the library and read all the books and scrolls from start to finish. All for the purpose of raising my INT stat.

My schedule basically consisted of go to school, go to the library, wash the dinner dishes, and repeat. On Sunday, I'll go to the library and read books all day long, only leaving to eat food at the apartment complex. My stat gains for this month are **+2 INT** and **+2 VIT**.

* * *

**July 31, Summer Term Exam Day**

With my enthusiastic dedication in physical education class, I hit the age restriction on my **[Running]** skill.

**Running (Passive) Level: 25 EXP: 99.99%**

**-A skill representing how fast and far you can run, while using less stamina.**

**+25% VIT and AGI.**

**+50% increased movement speed and decreased stamina used when running.**

***Cannot increase levels in this skill until you become 5 years old.***

I sometimes wonder when I'll finally stop being cock-blocked. Is this some sort of measure to prevent me from becoming an all powerful 4 year old Gary Stu?

Doing what I usually do when I hit a physical limit, I focused on **[Meditation]**, **[Balance]**, **[Flexibility]**, and raising my INT at the library.

Due to being a regular visitor at the library, the library staff appreciated my presence and learned my name. Sometimes, I'll overhear them talking how they wish the other Academy students showed some initiative or curiosity to study or read.

Anyways, today's the first exam that'll is one third of my final grade for the school year. When I woke up on this day, I was greeted with this message.

**Major Quest Alert!**

**I'm too smart for this crap!**

**Pass the General Education Exams for the right to enroll in Ninja classes. **

**Bonus Objective:** Ace all three exams.

**Quest Reward:** 100 EXP and advance to the next grade.

**Bonus Rewards:** **[ID Create]** skill, **[ID Escape]** skill, and +10 Fame.

**Quest Failure: **Endure Aki's general education class for another year.

Now that bonus reward is something to be motivated about. If I pass the exams, I'll get enough EXP to become Level 1. If I succeed in the optional objective, then it'll help fast track me on the way to becoming overpowered.

Better save if the Academy staff try to put a trick question on the exam. Pause. Save Data. Overwrite Save File 3.

**Do you want to overwrite '1st Day ever at the Ninja Academy'****,**** with 'General Education Summer Term Exam'****?**

Yes.

**Save Data**

**Save File 1: 1st Day of Life Mid-Tutorial**

**Save File 2: 4th Birthday Celebration**

**Save File 3: ****General Education Summer Term Exam**

Sitting in the classroom at my usual seat, Aki strolls in and said "Today is the Summer Term Exam day. It's the first of three exams that'll determine your final grade."

"These results are important as they'll determine whether you'll enroll in ninja classes early at 5 years old or attending this class again. I'll be watching all of you like a hawk to ensure there's no cheating. If I see you cheating, then it'll result in an automatic 0."

"You all have a total of three hours to finish the exam. When you're done, turn in your paper onto my desk and you can leave early. You may being once you receive your test papers."

**Question 1)** What is 50 plus 50? **100**

**Question 2)** What is the name of this village? **Sunagakure no Sato**

**Question 3)** What is the name of the first Kazekage? **Reto**

**Question 4)** What is the name of the second Kazekage? **Shamon**

**Question 5)** What is 97 minus 43? **54**

**Question 6)** What is 69 multiplied by 96? **6624**

**Question 7)** What is 323 divided by 3 rounded to the nearest whole number? **108**

The rest of the questions were easy to answer and I knew for sure I aced it. After finishing the exam in an hour and a half, I left the class and went to the library to read.

The next day, the scores of the Summer Term Exams have been posted in the courtyard and there were a bunch of parents and kids looking at the results.

**Summer Term General Education Exam Results**

Genji 100%

Sari 99%

Yaoki 96%

Korobi 95%

Daimaru 71%

As expected thanks to my high INT and WIS. One down and two more to go. I even heard some people comment on my score.

"Somebody scored a 100% on the general education exam?", questioned several shinobi parents.

"Who the heck is Genji?!", exclaimed another adult that was definitely sure his kid would've aced the exam.

"This could be the coming of another genius.", muttered a scheming parent from a clan.

"Nah, the boy just got lucky. These exams are piece of cake that anybody can get full marks on them. What really matters is getting a 100% in the ninja classes.", said a doubting adult.

Leaving the Academy, I traveled to the library to continue raising my INT and increase my chances of getting a 100% on the next two exams.

* * *

**Several months later: December 15**

It's been sometime ever since I aced the Summer Term Exam. Due to my efforts, I've gained the following stat increases: **+4 INT, +3 VIT, and +2 AGI.**

For Summer Break, I washed the dishes for all three meals of the day and spent the majority of my vacation at the library. I would also spend some time running around Sunagakure to increase my VIT, familiarize myself with the village, sightseeing, and update my mini-map.

I found myself one time in the bazaar that sold exotic goods from various countries, luxury items, and upper class goods. Some of these products are cow's milk and beef, furniture, TVs, technology, and more. They even sold water from a famously large desert oasis.

I asked the shopkeeper what's the difference between the water being sold compared to the water found from the kitchen sink. The salesman indulged my curiousity by saying the water is clean with no impurities. The tap water has some impurities, but it's safe to drink.

Anyways, it's my birthday today and I received the standard birthday message from the game system.

**It's your 5th birthday!**

**+25 HP and +25 CP!**

**+1 to all stats!**

I wonder how strong I'm currently? Character Status.

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya - **Class:** The Gamer - **Age:** 5

**Titles:** **[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% proficiency learning Academy subjects and skills.)

**Status:** Normal, +6% Evasion, and +4 DEF.

**Level:** 0 - **EXP:** 50/100

**HP:** 342.2 - **HP Regen:** .84 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 288.68/577.35 - **CP Regen:** 2.5 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 5 + (5 X .15) = 5.75

**VIT:** 11 + (11 X .52) = 16.72

**PE:** 22.47

**WIS:** 12 + (Meditation 8) + (20 X .25) = 25

**INT:** 15 + (Meditation 8) = 23

**SE:** 48

**DEX:** 6 + (Ambidextrous 8) + (14 X .15) = 16.1

**AGI:** 8 + (Sandals 2) + (10 X .37) = 13.7

**LUK:** 6

**Fame/Infamy:** 0/0

**Unspent points:** 0

**Money:** 3,750 Ryo + (8 month stipend 40,000) - (Toiletries 160) = 43,590 Ryo

That's pretty good so far, I think. Only until I see my peer's current HP and CP numbers will I be able to estimate how strong I am compared to them.

* * *

**March 31 Spring Term Exam Day**

It's the day of the Spring Term Exam and I'm prepared to get the perfect final grade. The Fall Term Exam was harder than the Summer version, but I still aced it. I've gained **+3 STR**, **+3 VIT**, **+3 INT**, and **+3 AGI** since my 5th birthday.

I even received a new title in February thanks to all that time spent reading in the library. This was the message that I saw upon completing my 500th book.

**Ding!**

**By reading 500 books from start to finish, you've gained a new title.**

**Gained Title: **Bookworm

**Effects:** +2 INT and WIS for every 50 books read from start to finish and +30% relations with the Sunagakure Library staff. Books read: 0.

Before Aki came into the room to hand out our final exams, I made sure to save the game. Pause. Save Data. Overwrite Save File 3.

**Do you want to overwrite 'General Education Fall Term Exam'****,**** with 'General Education Spring Term Exam'****?**

Yes.

**Save Data**

**Save File 1: 1st Day of Life Mid-Tutorial**

**Save File 2: 4th Birthday Celebration**

**Save File 3: ****General Education Spring Term Exam**

Resume.

Aki greeted us and said "Good morning class, today's the day for the Spring Term Exam. Along with the Summer and Fall exams, these three will be combined will determine your final grade."

"You all have the same amount of time to finish the exam. Please take your time, there's no need to rush."

Reading the first and following questions, I think that doubting shinobi was right all along. These general education exams are a piece of cake to ace.

**Question 1)** What is the title of the leader of Sunagakure? **Kazekage**

**Question 2)** Who is the political leader of the country? **Daimyo**

**Question 3)** Sunagakure is surrounded by what? A dessert or desert? **Desert**

**Question 4)** What is the name of the current Kazekage? **Rasa**

**Question 5)** What is the name of the country Sunagakure is located in? **Wind Country**

Finished with the exam in two hours, I double checked all my answers to make sure they're correct. Because I want that reward.

Turning in the exam paper on Aki's desk, I said to her "Bye Aki-sensei!" She replied "Goodbye Genji, make sure to come back tomorrow to see your results."

At the time, I thought acing these exams wasn't a big deal. I knew I'd be placed in the spotlight because of it, but I underestimated just how much attention I attracted the next day.

* * *

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya - **Class:** The Gamer - **Age:** 5

**Titles:**

**[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% proficiency learning Academy subjects and skills.)

**[Bookworm]** (+2 INT and WIS for every 50 books read from start to finish and +30% relations with the Sunagakure Library staff. Books read: 6)

**Status:** Normal, +7% Evasion, and +4 DEF.

**Level:** 0 - **EXP:** 50/100

**HP:** 400.4 - **HP Regen:** 1.13 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 325.58/651.15 - **CP Regen:** 2.63 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 8 + (8 X .18) = 9.44

**VIT:** 14 + (14 X .61) = 22.54

**PE:** 31.98

**WIS:** 12 + (Meditation 9) + (21 X .25) = 26.25

**INT:** 18 + (Meditation 9) = 27

**SE:** 53.25

**DEX:** 6 + (Ambidextrous 10) + (16 X .18) = 18.88

**AGI:** 11 + (Sandals 2) + (13 X .43) = 18.59

**LUK:** 6

**Fame/Infamy:** 0/0

**Unspent points:** 0

**Money:** 43,590 Ryo + (3 month stipend 15,000) - (Toiletries 480) = 58,110 Ryo

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**In Canon, the 3rd Kazekage disappeared during the 3rd Shinobi war started.**

** In this Fic, he disappeared 2.5 to 3 years later than Canon. Which is several months before the 3rd Shinobi War ended.**

**This change of events will have an impact later on in the story. **

**Kinunatzs: **Thanks for telling me about that. The passive abilities of the Kaguya clan won't be unlocked, until he learns the **[Chakra Control Mastery]** in his 2nd year of the Academy.

**Stormbringer117: **The reasons for putting the 'Save' and 'Pause' features in the game was because this story is my first attempt at writing a FanFiction and that it's supposed to a be a not so serious adventure. I agree that the Genji is a bit overpowered, but in future chapters the enemies will be stronger than their canon counterparts.

It's like playing a game on a harder difficulty, but at least he has infinite do-overs when he dies. The features are similar to how you encounter a legendary in Pokémon, try to catch it, run out of balls, and reset the game to repeat the process.


	6. Learning About Fans & Puppets Costs Ryo

**Disclaimer:** **Familiar characters and references you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Learning About Fans &amp; Puppets Costs Ryo**

**April 1: Saturday**

It's the dawn of another day and I'm curious as to why I haven't seen a message confirming my reward. Maybe I have to actually go there in person and see the results myself?

After finishing breakfast, I dashed towards the Academy and arrived at the courtyard. Upon my arrival, I saw numerous stares by the adults and classmate's fingers pointed at me.

Seeing the crowd's attention directed at me, my first thought was to check if my zipper was open. Glancing downwards, I saw it's properly zipped up. I checked behind me to see if somebody famous is standing behind me, but there was nobody there.

Oh, it's probably because I aced all three exams. Now I just made myself look like an idiot in front of all these people.

Approaching the scoreboard, I spotted several sheets of papers detailing everyone's scores. I scanned the rankings from the top down looking for my score and any other notables to be remembered.

**General Education Final Grade Results**

Genji 100%

Sari 96%

Jyari 92%

Yaoki 88%

Korobi 85%

Daimaru 70%

Heh. Looks like Daimaru barely passed the general education exams. In fact, he's whooping and hollering that he managed to move on.

**Quest Complete!**

**+100 EXP gained!**

**+10 Fame gained!**

**Your level has risen by 1!**

**Gained 5 spendable points.**

**Ding!**

**Two skills have been rewarded to enter and escape from instant dungeons.**

**ID Create (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Used to create instant dungeons. ****Stronger instant dungeons may be created according to level.**

**Currently available ID List: **

**0\. Empty ID - Monsters: None**

**ID Escape (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Used to escape instant dungeons.**

**+Escape chance depends on the type of dungeon.**

Dismissing the reward window, I turned around to go back and test out the **[ID Create]** skill. On the way out, I heard several conversations about me from the adults.

"Is that the five year old who aced the exam?", said a mother that sounded impressed.

"Amazing that an orphan with no family or clan backing him up managed to do this.", replied a kunoichi.

"Why is everybody making such a big deal out of this anyway?", asked a civilian parent.

"Ever since the exam has been implemented, most of the children who scored above 98% tend to become famous in Sunagakure. A list of people who accomplished this achievement are Sobek, Sasori, Rasa, Pakura, Temari, and Kankuro.

Entering the dorm's lobby, I was stopped from going to my room by Katsuo.

"Wait Genji! Before you go up, here's your monthly stipend for the month of April."

I took the offered envelope counting how much money it contained and a frown appeared on my face. Depositing the money in my inventory, an alert told me I counted correctly.

**You've gained 1,000 Ryo!**

The hell? I'm short by more than half of what I usually receive. From all the time I spent with Katsuo, he's an honest hard worker and not some cheating scumbag. So it must be the Sunagakure itself that's responsible.

"Hey mister Katsuo, anything recent that changed the stipend amount?", I inquired.

Katsuo nodded and said "You're right Genji. The Kazekage has decided to reduce the stipend amount and reallocated the funds saved to much more needed services. They deemed 8,000 Ryo was too much, so they decided to reduce it to 1,000."

"If you want proof, you can see the announcement poster with the Kazekage's seal of approval on the wall over there. By the way, why are here so early? Your score is disappointing?"

I replied, "Nope. I received full marks on all three exams with perfect 100%. But thanks for letting me know about the stipend change."

"Haha! Keep up the good work." He then ruffled the hair on my head and left.

Once inside my room, I locked the door and double checked to see that it's locked. I also made sure the blinds are closed and that nobody else was hiding in my room.

Okay, let's do this! ID Create: Empty ID.

My surroundings shifted to an altogether different environment. It was still my room, but I couldn't hear the usual hustle and bustle or howling winds outside.

What a perfect place to practice destructive Jutsu in an urban environment and with privacy. I walked to the bathroom and tried to interact with the objects in it.

For now there's not much I can do here. The only thing I can do is spam **[ID Create]** and **[ID Escape]**, so I can unlock the dimensions with monsters in them. I'll do it at a later date.

ID Escape.

Instead of reappearing at the front door where I entered the dungeon, I exited where I was currently standing in the bathroom. This could be very helpful on sneaking missions into certain places.

Exiting the instant dungeon, I think I'll sleep in for the day as my reward for acing the test.

The next day, I awaken to see several windows in front of my face, including one involving my birthday.

**System Update!**

**Personal description of yourself has been added to your status.**

**You can ask your patron one question per year. You can find the function 'Ask Patron' on the Main Menu.**

Pause. Character Status.

Looking at my stats screen, I saw my description and I wasn't pleased with what I read.

**Kaguya Genji is a paranoid reincarnated young man who desires money and power to guarantee his wishes such as his survival past the 4th Shinobi War and his mother's wellbeing.**

**He feels indebted to his mother Miya because she didn't throw him away after birth and tried her best to take care of him.**

**Currently at his age, he's weak and under leveled compared to Canon characters like Itachi and Kakashi. With the right training and ideas, he might be able to surpass them all.**

WHAT?! So Itachi and Kakashi have better stats at my current age? I'm going to have to put in some work to catch up.

Hmm, what can I ask my patron? Oh I know! But I'll have to be careful with how I phrase it. Some of these beings try to find loopholes to avoid answering the question.

Pause. Ask Patron.

**Question:** Why was I gifted with two bloodline limits and the powers of **[The Gamer]**?

**Reply:** **"Don't expect your enemies to have the same power levels as they did in Canon. If you seriously underestimate them, you will die."**

Hmm. Maybe I should've asked in what areas are Itachi and Kakashi stronger than me in?

Meh, it's probably their INT or something? Back to the library again. Besides, I've got a around a week of vacation time before school starts again on April 10th.

* * *

**April 10 Monday**

It's my first day of being enrolled in the Ninja classes at the Academy and I'm excited, despite it being a Monday. Because this is the year I'll finally learn how to mold Chakra from the teachers.

Then I'll finally unlock those bloodline limits of this body. Even if I felt the warm foreign energy called Chakra inside my body during **[Meditation]**, I never messed with the flow.

Without proper instruction or supervision, I might have done irreversible damage to my Chakra coils. Just because I watched the anime doesn't mean I remember every single little detail about this world.

Picking up my class schedule from one of the Academy staff, I found my class is in room 201 and waited for the entrance ceremony to start again.

The Kazekage showed up again, but he didn't say anything different. He changed a few words around, but it was essentially the same speech from last year.

During Principle Onizuma's speech, I learned my teacher is a lady named Maki. She was a young kunoichi with purple markings on her face.

**Binding Cloth User**

**Level 64**

**Maki**

Observe.

**Name:** Maki

**Level:** 64

**Class: **Low-Chūnin

**HP:** 3,325

**CP:** 7,150

**A young Kunoichi who's a practitioner in one of Suna's specialties, the Binding Cloth, and is studying the art of Fuinjutsu. She's also Pakura's number one fangirl.**

**She's focused on training so she can get revenge on Kiri Shinobi for killing her parents and is currently a teacher because one learns new things by teaching others.**

After he concluded the ceremony, all the students left to go to their respective classrooms. It took a couple of minutes to find my class and saw all the seats from the middle to the back are occupied by the older kids.

Some of the older kids I recognized are Temari, Kankuro, Saya, and Shira. Temari and Kankuro both were sitting in the backrow and both their levels increased. Sitting on the left most side of the room as close to the middle as possible , I awaited the teacher to come.

Soon, Maki entered the room followed by a man with green markings on cheeks ending with two spikes toward his face. He too is similar to Maki in their specialties, except where she radiated confidence, he showed slight hints of nervousness.

**Binding Cloth User**

**Level 61**

**Nonota**

Observe.

**Name:** Nonota

**Level:** 61

**Class: **Low-Chūnin

**HP:** 3,500

**CP:** 6,900

**A young shinobi who's a practitioner in one of Suna's specialties, the Binding Cloth, and is studying the art of Fuinjutsu. **

**He is prone to panicking and becomes visibly distressed when he hears how deadly or dangerous an enemy is. Due to his scared nature, he has developed fast reflexes to avoid enemy attacks.**

Maki then announced, "Good morning class!"

The entire class responded back with "Good morning sensei." The teacher then continued and said "My name is Maki and I'll be your teacher for the duration of the year."

She then gestured towards the man next to her and said "This here is Nonota and he'll be my assistant instructor for this class."

She rose her eyebrow at him telling the man to introduce himself already. Nonota gulped and said "H-hi class. N-nice to meet you."

Once Nonota finished introducing himself, Maki said "While I call for attendance, you can look at the board to see what you'll be learning and be tested on for your exams. Also on the board are the times and locations of additional course subjects you can attend after school ends at 3:00 PM. Just a reminder, these classes are not mandatory."

**Ninja Program Subjects**

**1\. General Education**

**2\. Strategy, Tactics, and Planning**

**3\. Wilderness Survival, Tracking, and Orientation**

**4\. Chakra/Chakra Theory/Jutsu/Control Exercises/Hand seals**

**5\. Free Period **

**6\. Taijutsu/Ninja Tools/Stealth Training/Sand Style Katas**

**7\. ****Physical Education/Obstacle Course/Kunoichi class (Female only)**

**Afterschool programs**

**Puppetry 101: Tuesday and Thursday at 3:35 PM to 6:00 PM in Room 101**

**Way of the Fan: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 3:35 PM to ****6:00**** PM in Room 102**

**Medicine: Every day except Saturday and Sunday at 3:35 PM to ****6:00**** PM in Room 103**

During Maki's roll call, I overheard a conversation between two older students talking about the afterschool programs.

"Hey Abiru, I heard if you want to excel in Chakra Control, then one should attend Puppetry 101. Do you want to go see it?"

"No way Tomari. I'd rather play football with Kashike, Tsuchino, you, and the others instead. We can always work on Chakra Control during class."

Hmm, sounds like attending those classes are a good idea. For now, I'll choose **[Way of the Fan]** and **[Puppetry 101]**. Since I'm living in Sunagakure, why not learn their specialties?

Learn how to use a battle fan and puppets, so I can fool my enemies into thinking I'm a mid to long range fighter. When they come in close thinking I'm weak in close range combat, I'll surprise them with my strong Taijutsu prowess.

On the other hand, Suna is also famous for their poisons. Hmmm, I'll attend **[Medicine]** if I'm not learning anything decent from the other programs.

Despite being the first day of school, Maki didn't take it easy on us. She crammed several general education subjects in a short period of time.

For strategy and tactics, the class was slowly being brainwashed by the idea "Fulfill the mission no matter the cost." We also learned what the correct and incorrect things to do in combat situations.

You've been assigned a mission and your ninja squad consists of three ninjas, including yourself who is serving as the team's medic. Your mission? Capture the target before he crosses the country's border to safety and refuge from you.

Your teammates have severe injuries that need immediate medical treatment, but your target is escaping. Do you treat your teammates to save their lives and fail the mission? Or do you abandon your teammates and pursue the target?

There isn't a correct answer for this situation and it all depends on the medic's skill level. Scenarios similar to this have happened mulitiple times in history.

Sorry Suna, but I'm not going to subscribe to idea of 'Fulfilling the mission no matter the cost'. My interests come first before the village cause I'm selfish.

If the Kazekage told me my mission was to be a suicide bomber, I'd accept but tell him to go fuck himself in my mind. Then I'd take my mother with me, abandon Suna, and risk being labeled a missing-nin.

Next we were taught how to recognize the four compass directions without using a compass. Pretty much common sense stuff like the sun rises in the East and sets in the West.

"Okay class, it's time for a refresher course about Chakra. I want everyone who can mold their Chakra to follow me, while those that don't will follow Nonota."

The class then split into two groups after exiting the classroom with Maki's group going left and Nonota's going right. The man took us to an unused classroom and started teaching us the fundamentals and importance of Chakra.

"Before we start, does anyone know what Chakra is?", Nonota asked and Daimaru spoke up. The boy said "It's mystical magic that allows one to do many things."

Nonota answered, "S-something like that. Let me tell you the more detailed version."

"Chakra is essential to even the most basic of techniques. There are many ways to control and manipulate Chakra, the most common is the 12 hand seals. When we control and manipulate Chakra in a certain way, we can create an effect that's not possible otherwise, such as this. Clone Jutsu!"

A clone of Nonota appeared and the class responded with "Ooh" and "Aaah." The more Nonota talked, the more confident he seemed to get. Probably because our group only has like 12 people while Maki's has 28.

"Chakra is created when two forms of energy are molded together. These two forms are physical energy and spiritual energy. Physical energy is the body, while spiritual is the mind. Physical energy can be increased by training and exercise. Spiritual energy can be increased by studying, meditation, and experience."

"Aah, I don't like studying. It's boring.", said a random student.

"Continuing on. Ninjas in training learn how to generate more Chakra and release it outside our bodies through pressure points called tenketsu in order to perform Jutsu. The hand seal is I'm going to show you is the Ram seal. Everyone try to follow how I make the seal."

"Sensei, why are hand seals important?", I asked while trying to copy the position of his hands.

"Seals are used to control the exact amount of Chakra necessary to perform a technique. They allow us to manipulate Chakra more easily, perform techniques faster and more effectively. By the way, you're doing it wrong. Your thumb needs to be on top."

"Thanks sensei!", I replied.

"Has everyone learned the Ram seal? Now try to feel the Chakra within your body and follow the flow. Then use the Ram seal and focus on bringing it outside your body."

Feeling the warm energy inside, I followed the focused on a portion and followed the flow. From my arms, hands, arms again, and more. Then I used the Ram seal and concentrated on bringing out my Chakra.

I tried to bring it out, but my first attempt failed. Though every time I failed, I felt I was getting closer and closer to expelling Chakra from my body.

After my tenth try, I finally managed to do it.

"Great job, umm Genji right? Keep practicing so it'll take less time to mold your Chakra.", said Nonota.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to control and manipulate the user's Chakra from within their body.**

**Chakra Control Mastery (Passive) Level: 1 EXP 0.00%**

**-A skill that allows you to control, mold, manipulate, and expel the Chakra within your body at a steady or varying rate for a variety of purposes.**

**+0.5% decrease of wasted Chakra on all Jutsu that don't have a flat cost.**

**+50 Bonus CP**

**Ding!**

**Unlocked your Kaguya Clan's Bloodline Limit!**

**Dead Bone Pulse (Passive/Active) Level: 1 EXP 0.00%**

**-A bloodline limit that's highly regarded as the ultimate Taijutsu ability. This ability allows the user to manipulate their own skeletal structure and infuse calcium with Chakra to manipulate the growth and properties of their bones to their liking.**

**-Grants the user a unique skeletal structure and a high regeneration rate as any bone removed from the body immediately regenerates as does the skin that's damaged. Bones can protrude from any part of the body, be pulled out, or create a dense bone armor underneath their skin.**

**+Cost: ? HP and ? CP**

**+HP Regeneration Rate is now .5 instead of .05**

**+1% STR, +5% VIT, and 3% DEF**

**+5% attack damage and +5% attack speed**

**Ding!**

**Unlocked your Magnet Release Bloodline Limit!**

**Iron Sand Manipulation (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-****Allows the user to summon additional Iron Sand from the environment and manipulate to crush opponents or mold into various shapes and weapons for a variety of purposes.**

**+CP Cost: 200 per minute.**

**+5% attack damage and +1.5% particle speed.**

Wow! That's a lot of HP I'm regenerating. It basically multiplied my recovery by a factor of 10.

But that **[Dead Bone Pulse]** though. Using HP and CP to activate skills? Maybe the quality and properties of the bone depend on how much HP and CP used?

I'll have to increase my VIT to compensate should there be a technique that uses 1,000 HP or more. With these two abilities, it seems like I'm going to be one hell of a tanky character.

What kind of defensive tank could I be?

The kind that does sustained damage over a period of time to his enemies like poison dot damage? Or the one who outlasts his enemies by exhausting their stamina and Chakra? Maybe one who can deal and receive tons of damage?

Hmm, the possibilities I can choose.

"Everyone, it's your free period right now. Please meet back in the classroom at 1:00.", said Nonota interrupting my thoughts of grandeur.

Going to Katsuo's place to eat lunch and back in the courtyard, I continued to watch the Academy students. From my observations, the highest leveled student I've seen is 20.

There's a distinct difference in levels between the kids from shinobi parents or clans and the orphans and civilians. Back at the classroom at 1:00 PM, Maki said "Alright class, it's time for some Taijutsu spars. I want the everyone to follow us to the Academy training grounds."

Wait, wait, WAIT! Hold on for a minute! We're going to do some sparring without learning any sand katas? They're practically throwing us new students off the deep end?

Everyone followed the two teachers outside and stood on the sidelines of the arena.

Maki then announced, "Okay students, I'll explain the rules to those who are new. You and your opponent will fight for a total of three minutes and your goal is to beat your opponent by either knocking them out or rendering them unable to continue fighting. Any questions?"

Daimaru asked,"Sensei! If we step outside the fighting ring, will the fight stop?"

Maki replied, "Nope! There are no fighting rings on the battlefield, so you will continue fighting until the time limit has passed. Now who to pick for our first fight."

Please be somebody I can easily beat that like that kid Yaoki over there who is shaking like a leaf. Then Maki shattered my hopes by saying, "First up is Kankuro versus Genji! Both of you get in the ring now."

**Quest Alert!**

**Beat Kankuro in a Taijutsu Spar**

**Have the teacher call the match in your favor**

**Quest Reward: **+100 EXP and increased relations with classmates, Maki, and Nonota.

**Quest Failure: **+25 EXP

Fuck my life! To get paired with Kankuro as my first sparring partner, talk about unlucky. Is this because of my low luck? Shouldn't I be paired with someone comparable to my age?

Just because you label me an up and coming genius doesn't mean that I can kick everybody's ass with no effort! I can already see the conclusion for this fight.

Untrained orphan with no combat experience versus trained son of the Kazekage. Jeez, I wonder who will win?

No, don't you give me that pep talk of "You're definitely going to fail because your thinking negatively. Think positive thoughts and you'll succeed." Crap like that isn't going to work here.

Oh well, might as well get humiliated in front of the whole class. As I head into the arena, I willed **[AISD]** to remain inert and not to retaliate against Kankuro's attacks.

As much as I'm afraid of pain, I can't become a fragile glass cannon ninja who can't take a hit. Just like Gaara who is overly dependent on his automatic sand defense.

Looking at the crowd, the class has the same opinion as me in the fact that that I'm screwed. I spot Temari in the girl's group and can't tell whether her face is showing a neutral or apologetic look.

Now I'm starting to regret my lazy lifestyle in my previous life. Maybe I can imitate a boxing style I saw from Hajime no Ippo?

Refocusing my sight on Kankuro, I see he's ready to put me in his place. He's going to use me as a punching bag to vent his stress due to Gaara's behavior and actions.

Before the fight began, I checked Kankuro's current HP and his displayed **HP:** 515

Maki then looks at the both of us and says, "Ready? Then begin!"

Right from the start, I positioned both of my fists in front of lower face imitating the Peek-a-boo style I've seen Ippo use. I chose the wait and see strategy, because I'm not sure how Kankuro will fight.

Kankuro closed in on me and launched an all out offensive. He aimed several punches at my eyes and I blocked the first few with a raised forearm to see how much damage I'll receive before avoiding the others.

**-4 HP! -7 HP! -5 HP! -6 HP!**

Dodging his 9th punch aimed at my eyes again, I was starting to get annoyed. Is he trying to give me two black eyes so I can imitate his brother's raccoon look or is he not taking this seriously?

If he's going to remain predictable, then I need to take advantage of this. I've spent enough time on defense and if I don't retaliate, the teacher will criticize me for being a wimp.

There he goes again throwing another punch at my eyes. I've had enough of your stupid petty attempts of harm.

When his right punch neared, I tilted my head to the left to barely avoid the hit. Then I followed up with my right fist and using my entire body weight to add force and momentum to the punch.

My punch snaked around his overextended right arm and connected to his face. The counterattack also dealt additional damage because I used his momentum against him when he put all that power into his attack.

**CRITICAL! -18 HP!**

The results was satisfying because his head reeled back a few inches and he was holding his nose in pain. How'd you like my Miyata Jolt Counter bastard?!

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created by using all your power to deal damage.**

**Power Strike (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Strike your target with a strong force of power.**

**+Flat CP Cost: 50 per strike.**

**+15% critical damage**

**+50% attack damage**

If my strength was a bit higher, then I might have given him a broken nose.

He shook off the pain and instantly became enraged. It seems he's pissed that I landed the first clean hit to the face instead of vice versa.

Kankuro threw another right straight and I dodged it by a head tilt, only for me to see that it was a feint. He then surprised me with a sweeping low kick to trip me up.

I fell to the ground onto my side. DAMMIT! I forgot you're allowed to use your feet too. As for that matter, any other body part as well.

My forgetfulness practically handed him the win on a silver platter. Kankuro continued to attack while I was still on the ground. I rolled away and managed to stand up again, but I took a few hits to do so.

**-7 HP! -9 HP! -11 HP!**

Putting up my 'Peek-a-boo' guard again, Kankuro stands still for a moment to observe my movements carefully. Both of us stay still to catch our breaths and watch each other carefully.

30 seconds later after staring at each other, Kankuro loses his patience and attacked. He launched a mixture of punches and kicks at me and I retaliated with some jabs to his stomach.

**-4 HP! -3 HP! -2 HP!**

"Stop! The winner is Kankuro!", yelled Maki to get both of our attention.

"Good fight you two. Kankuro, you need to stop being predictable. Take your opponent seriously from the start or they'll take advantage of it."

"Genji, you're lacking strength and combat experience. That'll be fixed soon enough after you learn some katas."

Walking out of the arena, I checked my current HP to see it has already recovered back to full health. The Kaguya Clan's passive HP regeneration is OP. No wonder Kimimaro is a Taijutsu monster. I wonder how strong he would've been without his sickness?

**Quest Failed!**

**Gained 25 EXP.**

**A skill has been created by enduring pain and damage from a stronger opponent!**

**Physical Endurance (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill that reduces damage from physical hits and allows the user to withstand hardship.**

**+1% decreased damage from physical attacks.**

At least future fights will be a little less painful. So what have I learned from this spar?

Just because I know several boxing styles and techniques, doesn't mean I can instantly use them effectively without practicing their forms. Even though I used Kankuro's own momentum against him to deliver that critical hit, it wasn't enough to give me the victory.

The fight wasn't a total loss for me cause I was pretty satisfied landing that counter to his smug face.

Kankuro stated, "Hmph! I'll give you a beating even worse next time."

Only if Maki pairs us up again. Nonota checked the both of us for any injuries before allowing us to rejoin the class watching the rest of the matches.

Thanks to **[Gamer's Body]**, I felt fine after a few minutes of rest.

After the seventh fight ended, I noticed a pattern of Maki pairing a new student against an older student. Is she trying to destroy our self esteem?

When the last fight finished at 2:30 PM, it was time for some physical education. Maki made us do some push-ups, sit-ups, handstands, and an hour running around the Academy.

**You gained +1 STR!**

**[Running]'s level has risen by 1!**

**You gained +1 AGI!**

"Everyone stop! Class is over, so go on home. See you back here tomorrow. Don't forget if you're interested in the afternoon program **[Way of the Fan]**, it's happening today in Room 101!" said Maki.

Using the five minute period I have before the **[Way of the Fan]** class starts, I went to the restroom to wash my face and hands of the dirt and sand. Done with my business, I entered room 102 and noticed several students sitting away at least two rows from the student sitting at the front.

That particular student sitting all by herself was Temari. Seeing all the empty seats around her screamed "Chance" in my mind.

Time to commence operation manipulate, I mean befriend Temari. I walked over and sat next to her on her right side.

I heard some gasps from behind me and noticed Temari's face became bewildered for a moment before returning to a neutral look. Deciding to play the innocent card, I greeted my seat neighbor with a smile.

"Hello there, my name is Genji. What's your name?"

She heard my question and replied "My name is Temari. Why are you here? Did you come here to mess around?"

I answered her with, "Nope! I wanted to see how a ninja uses a fan so I came to this class. Did that answer your question?"

I didn't think she'd take the fan arts this seriously at this age. Maybe because her father is such a strict man or something.

She became angry for a moment and said, "No! Why are you sitting right here right next to me?"

In response, I said "Oh? It's more fun to learn and practice new things with someone rather than by yourself." This way, I'll get a sparring partner for fan combat or a friendly rivalry if I ever continue with this class.

"Huh?! Aren't you afraid of my family, especially what my younger brother Kankuro did to you earlier?", she asked shocked that I would associate with her after what he did.

"Eh, he's your brother?! Actually, I don't have a problem with your brother because that was my first time ever in a fight. I'll just beat him next time. Besides, just because he's related to you doesn't mean I should stay away like everyone else in this room."

"Don't you know who my father is?" whispered Temari with a hint of hope. Thanks to my WIS, I could tell she's hoping that I'm another student like Daimaru who will ignore her family's reputation and talk to her.

I stated with a clear answer, "Yep! He's the current Kazekage, but I don't care. You're just a regular girl attending school just like everyone else."

Temari seemed to be pleased by answer before schooling her face back to a neutral look.

**Your relations with Temari has increased by 5!**

Suddenly, she became angry and asked "You didn't sit here next to me because of my connection to father or politics did you?" Uh oh, I did sit next to her for other reasons than becoming her friend.

So I raised an eyebrow at her question and said, "I'm an orphan. Why would I need to be involved with what the adults call 'politics'? I don't care about that stuff anyways, I'm here to learn about fans with somebody."

**Your relations with Temari has increased by 10!**

She seemed to be appeased by my answer and then an male teacher in his 40s holding a closed small war fan shows up.

**Tessenjutsu Specialist**

**Level 150**

**Kan**

Observe.

**Name:** Kan

**Class:** Mid-Jonin

**Level:** 150

**HP:** 6,450

**CP:** 12,675

**A middle aged man who is a member of the Fan Corps and teaches the [Way of the Fan] afterschool program. He has a friendly rivalry with his brother Kon, who teaches [Puppetry 101], to see which program will attract and interest more students.**

"Good afternoon students, my name is Kan and I'm the teacher for the Way of the Fan." He scanned the room and seemed to be pleased for some reason and showed surprise when he saw me sitting next to Temari in the front.

"I see we have some new hopefuls in the room. Those who are new, please tell us your name and why you're here? Starting with you.", pointing at me.

I stood up and said "My name is Genji and I'm here because a fan seems interesting."

Kan looked intrigued and asked "Why do you think it's an interesting?" In response, I pointed at his fan and said "You can hit bad guys from afar, close like a club, and control the air."

"Indeed young one, your way of thinking is basic but is correct. Next you back there.", praised Kan and the other new students introduced themselves.

"Okay class, follow me to one of the training rooms so we can practice some basic fan katas." Everyone followed him and in the room, there was a table with enough fans on it for everyone to grab.

Once the students assembled in the room, Kan said "Everyone grab a fan, form a line with enough space between each other and imitate my movements. Alright?"

So we proceeded to copy his movements and I soon got an alert after going through several katas.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to wield fans effectively in and out of battle!**

**Fan Mastery (Passive) Level: 1 EXP 0.00%**

**-A skill that allows the user to wield a fan and perform various fan-based combat techniques, katas, and movements effectively and efficiently. It's also known as Tessenjutsu and the bonus effects only apply when wielding a fan or fan-like weapon.**

**+10% attack power and ****+5% attack speed**

**+1% decreased damage when blocking enemy attacks**

Sometimes, Temari will criticize me by saying that my form is off by a few inches or that I'm doing it wrong and tells me to watch her. Every time she does so, I thank her in return because this what I was hoping for. She's tutoring me whenever Kan is busy with another student.

**[Fan Mastery]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Fan Mastery]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Fan Mastery]'s level has risen by 1!**

By the time the session was over, Kan said "Good job everyone, you're all dismissed for the day. If you want to practice the fan katas at your home, then I suggest you buy your own fan."

**Quest Alert!**

**Kan's Assignment: Buy a small battle fan!**

**The teacher has assigned you to buy a small battle fan. **

**Quest Objective: **Bring a small battle fan with you to the next **[Way of the Fan]** class on Wednesday.

**Quest Reward: **+10 EXP, Temporary Title: **[Aspiring Fanboy]**, and increased relations with Kan and Temari.

**Quest Failure: **None

**[Yes] or [No]**

Yes. Before leaving the class, I called out "Bye Temari-san! Thanks for your help today. See you tomorrow!"

She acknowledged my parting and we both separated to go to our homes. Back at Katsuo's place, I ate dinner and finished washing the dishes.

Exiting the dorm complex, I rushed towards the weapon shops to look for a small battle fan. I visited each shop and use **[Observe]** on the fans taking note of the ones that had the best quality for a reasonable price.

Most of them were priced between 5,000 to 10,000 Ryo and I eventually found the fan I'm looking for. It's priced at 9,999 Ryo, but it's the quality that sold it for me. Observe.

**Small Battle Fan - Rank: Superior**

**-A small battle folding fan a person can easily hold with one hand. It's been crafted and put together by an excellent craftsman.**

**-The rivets, head, and guard are made with top of the line chakra conductive metal from the Land of Iron. The paper part of the fan is also chakra conductive and is of excellent quality imported from the Land of Fire.**

**+Durability: 200/200 | ****Attack: +30 | Attack Speed: +80%**

I called the shopkeeper over and asked to purchase this particular fan. He was pretty suspicious and thought I was a thief, till I showed him the money I pulled out from my wallet Tanu-chan.

**You've obtained the quest item [Small Battle Fan]!**

Walking out with my new purchase, I went straight to my room. Locking the room and holding the battle fan, I activated my ability.

ID Create: Empty ID!

Inside the empty dimension, I went downstairs to a more open space and practiced my fan katas for an hour.

**[Fan Mastery]'s level has risen by 1!**

After leveling up **[Fan Mastery]** again, I decided to experiment with my bloodline abilities.

First up was **[Iron Sand Manipulation]** and I summoned up a large amount of Iron Sand from the ground. I then tried having fun and played around with the sand for a minute which consumed 200 CP.

I formed all sorts of 3D shapes like a cube, pyramid, sphere, and a cone. Once my CP dropped to near dangerous levels, I stopped using it and sat down to meditate.

Once my CP recovered back to it's full halved number, I tried out the **[Dead Bone Pulse]** next. First up, I concentrated on infusing Chakra on the bones in my upper arm and a pointy bone popped out.

**-50 HP! -50 CP!**

The bone pierced through my skin making me slightly wince in pain before the pain disappeared. Adding more Chakra, I grabbed the protruding bone and yanked it out to separate it from my arm.

**-40 HP! -30 CP!**

I felt disturbed that I actually pulled out an arm bone before I calmed down thanks to **[Gamer's Mind]**. After pulling the arm bone, I felt my right arm was unusable until the bones inside regenerated.

A moment later, I could move my right arm again. Observe!

**Simple Bone Sword - Rank: Poor**

**-A fragile bone sword made by an inexperienced [Dead Bone Pulse] user. The user wasn't thinking of density or any additional properties when producing this weapon out of his right upper arm.**

**+Durability: 3/3 | ****Attack: +2**

Looking at the sword and my current appearance, this ability is going to take some time getting used to. As for why?

Right after I yanked the bone, it ripped off a part of my flesh before it regenerated. This action poked a hole in my shirt and also made it bloody.

On the bone itself was my blood and some pieces of flesh on it. I don't recall Kimimaro being this bloody when he used it in the anime. Maybe it happened in the manga?

It's the ultimate Taijutsu ability, but you have to be damn near naked to avoid ruining your clothes. Probably have to practice this bloodline in the nude.

I placed the sword into my inventory, ran back to the bathroom, used **[ID: Escape]**, and started washing my clothes of the blood and the sword as well.

Blood is freaking hard to remove when washing and I need to get it off before it becomes permanent.

**[Laundry]'s level has risen by 1!**

Well, at least I got the blood off my shorts. However, I'm down a shirt because the upper right side has faded blood and a hole on it.

It'd be the epitome of stupidity to walk around with this shirt in public. Adults will be asking how I'm still alive after losing this much blood.

Once I did my nightly ritual, I went to bed hoping the puppetry class isn't too expensive.

* * *

**April 11: Tuesday**

It's a lovely cool Tuesday morning as I walked to school. Sitting in my usual area, I noticed the sand siblings haven't arrived.

But at 7:50 AM, the two arrived. While they were walking towards their seats, I waved at Temari and said "Good morning Temari-san."

Apparently my action turned the talkative room into one of dead silence. Temari nodded and Kankuro sent a glare at me for talking with his big sister.

Then I heard my classmates whispering and thinking I'm stirring up trouble on purpose.

"Doesn't he know they're the children of Kazekage-sama?", whispered Abiru from behind me.

"He's one of the orphans living in the dorms.", said Tomari.

Maki and Nonota walked in the class and both seemed puzzled as to why the class is quieter than normal. Maki then shrugged and she said "Good morning class."

"Good morning sensei.", chorused the students with some of them sounding tired.

"I see some people are about to fall asleep before I even started my lesson. I know just the thing to wake you all up. How about a pop quiz?"

Some of the students sat ramrod straight at her remark. To their relief, she wasn't handing out a quiz. Then she started teaching and the first couple of subjects bored me.

Then came the next lesson and we're learning the 12 hand seals that'll allow us to manipulate our Chakra easier. We're tasked by the teachers to memorize and replicate each hand seal by the Summer Term Exam.

When we finally finished, I concluded I really need to raise my INT to remember some of these seals. The only ones I could remember and replicate are ram, serpent, boar, and tiger as they're the most easiest to me.

Free period was the same as usual and I noticed Daimaru was teasing Temari with a spider this time. He even confronted me on why I was talking to his Temari.

I replied "Just getting to know my classmates. She's just a girl right?"

He nodded in response and walked away apparently satisfied with my answer. Good thing he's not all that bright in the head.

Maybe he teases Temari because he likes her? It's not like I'm trying to romance Temari, I'm just doing this to build connections to future important people.

Eventually, Maki and Nonota took us outside to learn some Sand katas. Thank whomever above that it's not another Taijutsu sparring day.

Maki took the advanced students who knew the katas, while Nonota took those of us who are beginners or new to martial arts. Nonota told us to imitate his posture and movements and I did just as he asked.

After practicing a couple of katas, I heard that familiar sound when I learn a new skill.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created represent your overall skill level in Taijutsu.**

**Taijutsu Mastery (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill that's basically hand-to-hand combat and anything involving the martial arts or optimization of natural human abilities. It doesn't require any Chakra, but it can be used to enhance techniques.**

**+.5% STR, VIT, DEX, and AGI.**

**+10% attack damage and +5% attack speed.**

**+1% ****decreased damage when blocking enemy attacks**

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to use basic martial arts to attack and defend yourself!**

**Beginner Suna Taijutsu (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

** -A beginner's level of Taijutsu style techniques standard to all Suna ninja that gives the user an idea on how to throw basic punches, kicks, and simple blocks.**

**+1% DEX and AGI using this style.**

At least these skills will boost some of my physical stats to increase my damage against Kankuro.

The next thing the teachers made us go through before the Academy finished is an obstacle course. Some of the obstacles reminded me of a military boot camp and that TV show called 'American Ninja Warrior'.

Nonota ran one lap around the course to show us where to start and what we're expected to do at each section. So far, the layout looks like this to me.

**Obstacle Course Layout**

**1\. Belly crawl under ropes and pretend said ropes are trip wires that will detonate bombs or traps.**

**2\. ****Cross over several tightropes over a large gap either by walking or running atop of it.**

**3\. Island hopping on wooden stumps of various heights across a section.**

**4\. Vaulting over a couple of fence hurdles.**

**5\. Jumping left and right on some quintuple steps.**

**6\. Hang off monkey bars and cross a large gap.**

**7\. Wall jump between 2 walls like super Mario to go up onto a platform.**

**8\. Jump off a platform and land correctly on the sand.**

"Before you start, let's go over some rules. If you fail an obstacle, then you'll stay at the one you failed on until you pass it. If you can't succeed after ten tries, then you can skip it. Everyone ready? Start!", shouted Maki.

Getting down and dirty crawling underneath the ropes, I reached the area and started crossing one of the many tightropes. Thanks to having the **[Balance]** skill, I had a slightly more easier time traversing than the classmates who are new to the ninja program.

The only trouble I've encountered was trying to wall jump between two walls. It took me several tries to find the right footing before I succeeded. Our class continued running laps on the course till the time became 3:30 PM.

**[Balance]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Jumping]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Balance]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Jumping]'s level has risen by 1!**

"Okay class, you're all dismissed for the day. If you're interested in puppets, then meet in room 101 for Puppetry 101. See you all next time.", said Maki to the tired class.

After cleaning myself off at the bathroom again, I went to room 101 for the afternoon program. Taking a seat in the front of the class, I noticed Saya is here and there's no Kankuro.

I know for sure he's interested in puppets, yet he's not here? To think my question would be answered by some of the gossiping five year old students behind me.

Talk about convenient. Ask and you shall receive.

"Hey, why isn't Kankuro in this class? I heard from my friends that he's interested in puppetry and joining the Puppet Brigade in the future.", muttered a boy.

Another kid whispered, "He's the son of Kazekage-sama, so he'll get private lessons from a Puppet Brigade member."

Halleluiah! If Kankuro was here, then I'd drop this class immediately. But this scenario doesn't add up in my mind.

Why is Temari participating in an afternoon program, when she can get personal one on one training from someone in the Fan Corps? That question will have to be answered at a later date.

If there's one person in this puppetry class that's definitely making me nervous just a little, it's Saya. She's looking at everyone like a predator on the hunt seeking new prey to bully.

Soon, the teacher for this subject showed up and he looked similar to Kan's in appearance.

**Kugutsu Specialist**

**Level 150**

**Kon**

Except, this guy is moving a large human-like puppet with his Chakra threads. Observe.

**Name:** Kon

**Class:** Mid-Jonin

**Level:** 150

**HP:** 5,650

**CP:** 12,450

**A middle aged man who is a member of the Puppet Brigade and teaches the [Puppetry 101] afterschool program. He has a friendly rivalry with his brother Kan, who teaches [Way of the Fan], to see which program will attract and interest more students.**

Kon inspected every student in the class before introducing himself.

"Good afternoon class, my name is Kon and I'll be your teacher for this program. It seems we have plenty of new young blood interested in the art of puppetry. Does anyone have any questions that you're just dying to ask?"

Yeah, I have plenty since Canon never explained some things to me. I rose my hand and the teacher gestured for me to continue.

"Are you related to Kan-sensei?"

"Oh yes, he's my twin brother. Could you introduce yourself, since I haven't seen you here before?"

"Yes, my name is Genji."

"Well then Genji, do you have anymore questions?", asked Kon who seemed to appreciate my interest in his specialization.

"How does the puppet float and move?"

Kon replied, "You see, a small portion of the Chakra in the Chakra threads are used to make the puppet float above the ground. The threads also controls the movement of the puppet to make it move look like a humans. Any other questions Genji?"

"How are you able to make the puppet look like a human?"

"That's very observant of you to ask that. By applying a layer of sand on the puppet along with a Transformation Jutsu, the puppet will take on whatever appearance the puppeteer imagines. Only a master can make a puppet look human without the sand. Any more questions young one?"

"Yes sensei, just one. How is the sand applied to the puppet without falling off?"

"There's a Chakra control exercise called Paper-Sticking where you attach a piece of paper to your body and use Chakra to hold its position. The idea is the same with puppets because they're made of chakra conductive wood."

"When a Chakra thread connects to a puppet, a portion of the thread's Chakra will coat the entire puppet's body. This will act in a similar manner to Paper-Sticking and allows the sand to stick to take hold, except I call it Sand-Sticking."

"The sand won't stay on the puppet forever. Skilled users proficient in Sand-Sticking can make the sand stick for more than an hour. Masters can do the same if they want to, but even longer."

"Thanks sensei!"

With his explanation, I now have some idea as to how puppets work. Kon then asked for the other new participants to introduce themselves before he continued on with his lecture.

"Now that we've introduced the new students, let's begin with a short overview of the origins of the art of puppetry by our founder, Monzaemon Chikamatsu."

"Several decades ago, puppets were used as a source of entertainment like in theater plays and still are to this day. Chikamatsu along with several shinobi converted the art of puppetry into a unique form of combat. He is considered as the creator of the Puppet Technique and the very first shinobi puppeteer."

Kon continued, "With the founding history out of the way, the first step in order to becoming a puppeteer is good Chakra control. To start, we'll be doing the exercise I mentioned earlier, Paper-Sticking. I'll hand out a small piece of paper to everyone and I want you to take your piece, place it on your forehead, and make it stick by focusing Chakra onto it."

"Too much Chakra and the paper will blow off your forehead and too little will just make the paper slip off. Your goal is to find the right amount of Chakra needed to make the paper stick and maintain its position."

Following his directions, I placed the paper on my forehead and focused Chakra onto it. My Chakra enveloped the paper and the paper slipped away. Too little Chakra.

Putting the paper on my forehead again, I added more Chakra than my first attempt and it blew off. Now I added too much Chakra.

I continued placing the paper on my head and adjusted my Chakra output each time I failed. After several attempts, I managed to adjust the output to the right amount and heard the sound effect confirmation.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to stick paper(s) to your body.**

**Paper-Sticking (Passive/Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Suna's version of the Leaf Concentration Practice they stole from Konoha.**

**+CP Cost: (10 X # of papers attached to the body) = # per minute**

**+1% INT**

"If you already know how to stick your paper to the forehead, then try doing it on your fingers. If that isn't challenging enough, then rip your paper into several pieces and try maintaining more than one piece of paper attached to your fingers."

I ignored his challenge and focused on maintaining it on my forehead. Whenever I ran out of CP to use, I'd meditate to recover it more quickly.

**[Paper-Sticking]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Paper-Sticking]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Paper-Sticking]'s level has risen by 1!**

Eventually, the experience for **[Paper-Sticking]** started to slow down. Remembering Kon's challenge, I placed the paper on my right index finger and focused Chakra there.

Repeating the exercise again, I focused on trying to make the paper stick and was rewarded for my efforts.

**[Paper-Sticking]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Chakra Control Mastery]'s level has risen by 1!**

"Okay class, it's time for you to go home. If you want to learn more about puppetry, then come back next time with a Beginner's Puppetry Kit. It might be a little expensive, but it'll help you understand some of the inner workings of a puppet. I'll see you back here on Thursday.", concluded Kon before he left the room.

**Quest Alert!**

**Kon's Assignment: Buy a beginner's puppetry kit!**

**The teacher has assigned you to buy a Beginner's Puppetry Kit.**

**Quest Objective: **Bring a **[Beginner's Puppetry Kit]** with you to the next **[Puppetry 101]** class on Thursday.

**Quest Reward: **+10 EXP, Temporary Title: **[Aspiring Puppeteer]**, and increased relations with Kon.

**Quest Failure: **None

**[Yes] or [No]**

Yes. To think learning both of Suna's specialties will be costly.

Done with washing today's dishes for dinner, I explored the shopping district and weapon shops for the required kit. To my dismay, all the shops I've been to are selling the kit at the same price and it's more than the battle fan I bought yesterday.

The kit cost a total of 12,000 Ryo and the kit consists of the following: A small two foot humanoid wooden puppet, a small bamboo segmented wooden snake puppet, puppetry tools like a screwdriver and hammer, and some interchangeable puppet parts.

I also saw an Intermediate Puppetry Kit and an Advanced Puppetry Kit and the prices increased from there. The Intermediate is priced at 15,500 Ryo and the Advanced for 21,000 Ryo.

If I'm going to continue learning these two fields, then I need to build up my cash reserves or save my money with thrifty ways before I run out.

Forking over 12,000 Ryo for the kit, I walked out of the store with the kit in hand.

**You've obtained the quest item [Beginner's Puppetry Kit]!**

Once inside my room, I stored the kit in my inventory. I'm not going to leave a costly item like this lying around for it to be stolen. But how can I get more money?

Don't monsters drop loot like items and money after defeating them? Hmmm. Some games do and others just reward the person EXP only. Let's find out then.

ID Create: Empty ID.

ID Escape.

ID Create: Empty ID.

ID Escape.

ID Create: Empty ID.

**Ding!**

**[ID Create]'s level has risen by 1.**

Alright, now let's see what dungeon the skill has to offer.

**ID Create (Active) Level: 2 EXP: 0.00%**

**Currently available ID List:**

**0\. Empty ID - monsters: none**

**1\. Zombie ID - monsters: Zombies, Zombie Civilians, Zombie Bandits, Zombie Ninjas**

What the hell? Zombie versions of civilians, bandits, and ninjas?!

* * *

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya - **Class:** The Gamer - **Age:** 5

**Titles:**

**[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% proficiency learning Academy subjects and skills.)

**[Bookworm]** (+2 INT and WIS for every 50 books read from start to finish and +30% relations with the Sunagakure Library staff. Books read: 6)

**Status:** Normal, +7% Evasion, and +4.12 DEF

**Level:** 1 - **EXP:** 75/250

**HP:** 412.3 - **HP Regen:** 11.87 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 385.45/770.9 - **CP Regen:** 2.63 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 9 + (9 X .205) = 10.85

**VIT:** 14 + (14 X .695) = 23.73

**PE:** 34.58

**WIS:** 12 + (Meditation 9) + (21 X .25) = 26.25

**INT:** 18 + (Meditation 9) + (27 X .05) = 28.35

**SE:** 54.6

**DEX:** 6 + (Ambidextrous 10.5) + (16.5 X .205) = 19.88

**AGI:** 12 + (Sandals 2) + (14 X .465) = 20.51

**LUK:** 6

**Fame/Infamy:** 10/0

**Unspent points:** 5

**Money:** 58,110 Ryo + (Stipend 21,000) - (Small Battle Fan 9,999) - (Beginner's Puppetry Kit 12,000) = 57,111 Ryo

**Kaguya Genji is a paranoid reincarnated young man who desires money and power to guarantee his wishes such as his survival past the 4th Shinobi War and his mother's wellbeing.**

**He feels indebted to his mother Miya because she didn't throw him away after birth and tried her best to take care of him.**

**Currently at his age, he's weak and under leveled compared to Canon characters like Itachi and Kakashi. With the right training and ideas, he might be able to surpass them all.**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Inimicus:** I don't ignore reviews. In fact some of your ideas are pretty creative that I haven't thought of. It's just that the story hasn't reached that point where I'll be implementing those ideas.


	7. Zombie Hunting & The Blame Game

**Disclaimer:** **Familiar characters and references you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Zombie Hunting &amp; The Blame Game**

**April 11: Tuesday Night**

What the hell? Zombie versions of civilians, bandits, and ninjas?!

Best to save and overwrite a file before heading into unknown territory. Cause I don't want to repeat a year of general education torture if I die.

Pause. Save Data. Overwrite Save File 3.

**Do you want to overwrite 'General Education Spring Term Exam' with '1st Time in the Zombie ID'?**

Yes.

**Save Data**

**Save File 1: 1st Day of Life Mid-Tutorial**

**Save File 2: 4th Birthday Celebration**

**Save File 3: ****1st Time in the Zombie ID**

Resume. ID Escape.

**[ID Escape]'s level has risen by 1!**

Now then, time to see what the dungeon has to offer. ID Create: Zombie ID.

Inside my room, everything inside deteriorated into a ruined condition and took on a reddish color. I opened the window and saw a bloody red sky with black clouds. There was also a full moon in the sky that had a crimson appearance with black craters on its surface forming a creepy smiley face.

Leaving the dorm complex, I saw the reddish moonlight made the stucco and clay buildings take on a bloody red appearance. In fact, the entire village transformed into a ruined post-apocalyptic version of Sunagakure.

As I walked around, I saw a lone zombie monster in a nearby alley. It had disgusting green skin, unkempt hair, dried blood around its mouth, and putrid yellow teeth.

But before I engaged the zombie, I willed **[AISD]** to only guard against attacks that come from my blind spots. I don't have a sensing type skill, so this is a necessity.

Next is to read its information before I fight it. Observe.

**Zombie Kid**

**Level:** 1

**HP:** 75

**A slow moving, hard hitting, zombie version of a common toddler in the Naruto universe.**

Noticing that the kid hasn't noticed me yet, I looked around my area to confirm the kid is by itself. Wouldn't want to get mobbed by an insurmountable wave of zombies at my current level.

Preparing myself mentally for battle, I took out my Small Battle Fan from my inventory, equipped it in my right hand, and then charged at the kid. The kid heard my footsteps and looked up only to receive a smack across its face with my weapon.

**CRITICAL! -38.78 HP!**

The hell? What's with that high damage output of mine?

The zombie roared from pain and before it could retaliate, I smacked its body with the fan twice.

**-25.85 HP!**

**-25.85 HP!**

When the monster's HP hit 0, the body fell to the ground and its corpse disappeared in several particles of darkness. After the particles dispersed, it left behind some money as loot. No items?

**You've gained +3 EXP!**

**You've gained 75 Ryo!**

Before I continued on with the hunt, I went back to my room to see how the damage calculation worked. Because killing a zombie monster with only three hits surprised me.

After ten minutes of calculations using pen and paper, I finally figured it out.

The damage formula was this: **STR 10.85 + (Fan Attack Power 30 X .50 Fan Mastery) = 25.85**

Feeling my confidence rising due to my high attack power, I strode out of the building once again to search for some more zombies to kill.

Returning to the area where I killed the Zombie Kid, I found an adult zombie shambling about. Observe.

**Zombie Civilian**

**Level: **2

**HP: **100

**A slow moving, hard hitting, zombie version of a common civilian in the Naruto universe.**

Unlike the kid from earlier, this zombie actually noticed my presence. Then it started running towards me and tried to give me a big bear hug.

I avoided the hug of death and retaliated with my fan.

**-25.85 HP!**

Ignoring the zombie's yelp of pain, I continued attacking the monster without pause.

**-25.85 HP!**

** -25.85 HP!**

**-25.85 HP!**

The zombie died and I noticed the increase in my rewards.

**[Fan Mastery]'s level has risen by 1!**

**You've gained +5 EXP!**

**You've gained 100 Ryo!**

I gained an increase of 2 EXP and 25 additional Ryo compared to the Zombie Kid. Slowly exploring the area, I discovered another lone zombie kid.

This time, I pulled out the bone sword I produced yesterday. With my battle fan in my left hand and fragile bone sword in my right, I engaged the kid.

The kid saw my approach and ran at me. It threw a telegraphed right hook and I leaned back to avoid it with ease. I then stabbed my sword at the kid's stomach to see how much damage I'll inflict.

**-12.85 HP!**

Seeing the low damage compared to my fan, I concluded it's because I don't have the Sword Mastery skill yet. So I continued fighting the monster and kept thrusting my sword at various locations on its body to see where I'll get a critical.

**-12.85 HP! **

**-12.85 HP!**

**CRITICAL! -25.7 HP!**

**CRITICAL! -25.7 HP!**

**CRITICAL! -25.7 HP!**

**You've gained +3 EXP!**

**You've gained 75 Ryo!**

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to wield swords effectively in battle****.**

**Sword Mastery (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill that enables the user to wield a sword and perform various sword-based combat techniques, katas, and movements effectively and efficiently. It's also known as Kenjutsu and the bonus effects only apply when wielding a sword or sword-like weapon.**

**+10% attack power and +5% attack speed.**

**+1% decreased damage when blocking enemy attacks.**

Killing the zombie kid, I've noticed that I landed a critical whenever I hit a spot like the kneecap, elbow, and its eye. Thus I continued hunting and killed three more zombie kids netting me **+9 EXP**, **+225 Ryo**, and two levels in **[Sword Mastery]**.

Searching for my 5th kid to kill tonight, I found one after 30 seconds of wandering. This time, I'll allow it to damage me by blocking its attack with my fan and allowing it a clean strike to see how much damage I'll take.

The kid sloppily threw a telegraphed right straight and I blocked it with my closed fan.

**-30.88 HP!**

Hmm, I can withstand a zombie's attack with a fan. Now for a clean strike. The zombie reared it's left fist back and threw it at my stomach and made contact.

**-45.42 HP!**

Oof! I gasped in pain for a short moment before the pain disappeared. Concluding my observations on the damage I'll receive if hit, I relentlessly attacked the zombie with both the fan and the sword.

**-11.45 HP!**

**-28.85 HP!**

**CRITICAL! -17.18 HP!**

**CRITICAL! -43.28 HP!**

**You've gained +3 EXP!**

**You've gained +75 Ryo!**

Continuing my hunting trip through the ruined village, I heard a strange moaning noise around the corner and not the sexual kind either. Sidling up to the nearby wall, I carefully and slowly peeped around the corner to see the source of the sound.

This particular zombie was alone as well, but it had a different appearance. It looked like a degenerate bandit and wielded a weapon in its right hand. Observe.

**Zombie Bandit**

**Level: **5

**HP: **175

**A slow moving hard hitting zombie version of a common bandit in the Naruto universe. It's wielding a rusty katana coated with a paralyzing poison.**

Am I strong enough to fight this bandit despite being level 1? While I can dish out between 12 to 28 points of damage per hit, this guy is considerably stronger than a Zombie Kid.

While weighing my options, I heard my **[AISD]** activate from behind and a loud clanking noise from behind me. Turning my head around, I saw a rusty kunai on the ground and picked it up.

Depositing it into my inventory, I looked up and saw something that deserved my full attention. It was an enemy I'm not prepared to fight against.

In the distance is a zombie with the body of a 15 year old. The monster was dressed up in torn shinobi clothing and it pulled out another kunai from its holster to toss at me. Dodging the attack by a few inches, I needed to know what I'm facing. Observe.

**Zombie ****Chūnin**

**Level: **16

**HP: **475

**A zombie version of a ****Chūnin**** in the Naruto universe. It has a considerable higher base speed and strength compared to a Zombie Genin. **

Fuck this shit! I'm not strong enough to fight this kind of opponent. If a Zombie Kid can do around 30 to 46 points of damage, then I know for sure I'm not going to survive one hit from a stronger version.

In my mind, I started to panic. What am I going to do, fight or flight?

But then I calmed down thanks to **[Gamer's Mind] **and remembered I have a way to escape. Using **[ID Escape]** at my current location is a bad idea, since I'm in the shopping district. Appearing out of thin air in a public space will send my ass to the T&amp;I building.

A five year old inventing a space time Ninjutsu? We must know how it's done and replicate it for the good of the village!

Deciding I'm not strong enough to fight this monster, I sprinted to the confines of my dorm room. As I ran for my life, I turned my head around only to see the damn thing hot on my trail and IT'S CATCHING UP!

Climbing the staircase rapidly, I entered my room, closed the door, and shouted "ID Escape!" My surroundings transformed back to normal and I breathed a sigh of relief. Fucking Zombie Ninja scaring the shit out of me.

At least **[ID Escape]** was a success and not a failure. Otherwise, that would have been a definite Game Over right there.

Deciding that I had enough of zombies for the night, I shoved my weapons into my inventory and cleaned myself off before going to sleep.

* * *

**April 12: Wednesday**

Today, I woke up earlier than usual because I had a nightmare. I was walking carefully in the Zombie ID and encountered a powerful enemy while still being level 1.

The monster I met was the Zombie Kazekage. A Kage level zombie dressed in a torn Kazekage's formal wear.

I tried to run away by thinking **[ID Escape]**, but died before I could activate the skill. Not even my **[AISD]** saved me cause it was too slow to intercept the fatal attack.

Shaking my head to clear my head of the nightmare, there's a slight possibility that it could actually happen. If the nightmare held any truth to it, the I should do my best to stay away from the Kazekage's building, the Wind Tower.

It's a good thing the Academy and Katsuo's dorm complex takes a several minutes to walk to it. Speaking of the Academy, I've learned several new things today.

In Strategy, Tactics, and Planning class, we learned several stratagems on how to kill or steal from a guarded location. On the blackboard, the teacher drew the layout of a mansion, where the security guards are, and such.

She asked each of us to look at the drawing and figure out the best way to infiltrate the property and discuss potential solutions in a group. I was grouped with Daimaru, Tomari, and Abiru.

Some of them suggested using and I quote "Super cool Jutsu to sneak underneath the ground." I didn't speak up to crush their dreams, since Maki asked us how to sneak by with our current strength and power.

For me, I said I'd sneak in through the area of numerous supply crates. The other group members disagreed because it wasn't cool enough.

Frankly I knew my argument was correct and practical. Sneaking isn't about doing it to look cool, you're doing whatever it takes in the shortest amount of time if possible.

In wilderness survival, we were taught how to survive in the desert environment. Maki taught us that the top three things that kill people in the desert are heat stroke, dehydration, and hypothermia.

While people tend to prepare items for heat stroke and dehydration, hypothermia kills a lot of ignorant people because they forget the desert becomes freezing cold at night time.

The gear to bring with us to ensure increased survival are lots of bottled water, a thick blanket, first aid kit, a fire starter kit, and canvas lean-to tent for portable shade. She did mention that should you use the tent for shade, watch out for deadly animals and insects as they too will seek shade as well.

In addition, Maki taught us how to drain water from a cactus. At some point during the lecture, Nonota left the room and came back carrying a large potted cactus.

In the future, both of them will be taking us to the desert as a live survival training exercise. Unlike the academy graduation exam in Konoha, a portion of Suna's exam involves a wilderness survival test of surviving in the desert for 24 hours by yourself.

For our Chakra Control portion of class, Maki made us do the Paper-Sticking exercise. She gave the same explanation that Kon already did and I dedicated my time to training the skill.

Some students groaned that we're not learning any super special awesome Jutsu and Maki declared, "All the most powerful and famous ninjas in history had good Chakra control to get to where they are in power."

While I was practicing Paper-Sticking five pieces of paper on each finger on my right hand, Kankuro and Temari were showing off their Chakra control by doing ten piece of paper on each of their fingertips for a couple of minutes.

No wonder both of them develop an arrogant complex. I noticed Saya was also doing the same with ten pieces of paper as well to show a separation from her and the lowly commoners.

Each time I leveled up, I would increase the amount of papers on my fingers till I ran out of Chakra. Then I would meditate to recover my Chakra faster and repeat the process.

**[Paper-Sticking]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Paper-Sticking]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Paper-Sticking]'s level has risen by 1!**

"Okay class, it's your free period right now. Be back by 1:00 PM.", said Maki.

Eating lunch at Katsuo's cafeteria was fulfilling for me because there was some beef dishes. Going back to the Academy after eating, I continued to practice my **[Paper-Sticking]**. Because as they say, practice makes perfect.

**[Paper-Sticking]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Paper-Sticking]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Chakra Control Mastery]'s level has risen by 1!**

By the time free period was over, I could now stick 10 pieces of paper on my fingertips for around three minutes when my CP is full. At 1:00 PM, Maki and Nonota announced that we're going to the Academy's weapons range to learn how to throw some basic ninja tools like kunai and shuriken.

As usual, Maki took the experienced older kids and Nonota those of use who were unfamiliar with the ninja tools. Nearby was several tables with multiple dozens of kunai and shuriken on them.

Nonota started, "Okay everybody, today I'll be teaching about these two particular ninja tools such as how to hold and throw them. Before we start, I want each of you to stand behind a table by yourself."

"Let's start of with learning this weapon, the kunai. The kunai is a black dagger with a handle sometimes wrapped in bandages. This dagger is mainly used for close combat such as thrusting or stabbing enemies. It also can be thrown too."

"Next up is the shuriken. A shuriken is a four pronged metal star with an open circle in the center. The main purpose of this kind of weapon is throwing them at the bad guys. There are several types of shuriken, but this design is the most basic and common one you'll see."

"We'll begin with learning how to hold and throw a kunai. I want each of you to grab a kunai. Don't worry about cutting yourself for they have been blunted to prevent that."

"Let's try properly holding it our right hand first. Hold out your right hand at eye level and wrap your 4 fingers excluding your thumb around the handle where the bandages are."

"Then place your thumb against the handle. The proper form looks similar to a thumbs up hand gesture."

"Great job everyone! Let's repeat the process this time with our left hand. Now let me show you how to throw the kunai. Try to copy what I do."

"Good! Moving on, each of you will take turns throwing the kunai weapons. Step up behind the firing line, throw five kunai at the target 10 feet over there, and go back to the tables. It's okay if you miss the target. First up is Genji."

Imitating Nonota's form, I threw the kunai but felt I released it a bit too early. This mistake made the kunai miss the target completely.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to wield and throw kunai effectively.**

**Kunai Mastery (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Allows the user to wield kunai and kunai weapon techniques effectively and efficiently in both close and ranged combat.**

**+1% DEX**

**+5% attack damage and 2.5% attack speed**

"Good job Genji! Even though your kunai missed the target, you had the proper form. You just released the kunai a bit too early.", praised Nonota.

Preparing myself, I threw the other nine kunai and adjusted my form with Nonota's advice each time. With each throw, my kunai got closer and closer to hitting the target. On my tenth try, I landed a kunai on the outermost circle of the target.

**[Kunai Mastery]'s level has risen by 1!**

After everyone thrown ten kunai, we were taught how to hold and throw a shuriken. Then we performed the same process just like we did earlier with kunai.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to wield and throw shuriken effectively.**

**Shuriken Mastery (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Allows the user to wield shurikens and shuriken weapon techniques effectively in both close and ranged combat.**

**+1% DEX**

**+5% attack damage and 2.5% attack speed**

Seeing that there was no senbon on the table, I asked Nonota about it.

He replied, "Sorry Genji, but the Academy doesn't teach how to throw Senbon. They tend to be more difficult than shuriken for students to throw."

Since I know for sure learning how to throw senbon would give me some bonus DEX, I decided to buy some after school.

Nonota announced, "Okay everyone, please help me pick up all the blunt ninja tools over there and place them back on the tables and follow me. It's time to rejoin the other students for some taijutsu sparring!"

After regrouping with the older students, the Maki announced the first spar and I'm glad it wasn't me.

"Okay, we'll start with Kankuro and Mamushi for our first fight!"

If there is one thing I can say about this spar, it's that Mamushi put up a better fight than me against Kankuro. Mamushi used a variety of kicks and punches to damage Kankuro, while Kankuro returned the favor with his own.

The fight ended after Kankuro landed one more hit on Mamushi before the match was called.

"The winner is Kankuro. As usual Kankuro, you need to stop underestimating your opponents. There were several times were you could have lost the match. Mamushi, you need to increase the speed of your strikes."

"Next up is Genji versus Yaoki!"

**Quest Alert!**

**Beat Yaoki in a Taijutsu spar!**

**Quest Reward:** +25 EXP

**Quest Failure:** +5 EXP

Looking at my opponent, he's looks scared to be paired up with me for some reason. Observe.

**Name:** Yaoki

**Level:** 1

**Class:** Ninja Academy Student

**HP:** 295

**CP:** 635

**A young boy from a civilian family who has a slightly timid personality. He is interested in the art of puppetry.**

If I can fight against a zombie civilian and an older student, then I should have no excuse losing against a wimpy student the same age as me.

When the signal to start was given, I rushed forward to attack. Usually, I would wait for my opponent to come to me, but a timid boy will never take the initiative to strike first.

As I neared him, Yaoki tensed up and puts up a pathetic guard that Maki will surely criticize for having multiple holes for me to bypass. Stepping within striking distance, I launched a one two punch beneath his cross arm block towards his stomach.

**-8.05 HP! -10.74 HP!**

Yaoki gasped in pain for a moment before shaking himself to get rid of his shivering fear. Noticing he's going to strike back, I awaited his attack only to see a sloppy attempt at a punch.

Got to remember that he's an untrained civilian so why was I expecting him to throw some mean punches like Kankuro? Easily avoiding the attack by leaning to the side, I launched a counterattack punch aimed at his face.

He raised both arms to block the attack only for my plan to be a success because it's a feint. Seeing at that moment that his guard is actually blocking his eyesight, I quickly took advantage of this chance to get behind him.

Yaoki dropped his guard wondering why I haven't struck him yet. He then become horrified when some of our classmates pointed out I was behind him. Before he could react, I tackled him from behind and sent the both of us to the ground.

**CRITICAL! -16.11 HP!**

While he was still trying to get up, I hurriedly grabbed both of his arms and locked them from behind, imitating one of those police restraining techniques I've seen on TV. To make sure he stays down, I shove my knee downwards onto his back forcing him further into the ground.

Yaoki struggled for a few seconds, but found he couldn't escape no matter what he did.

"Stop! The winner is Genji!", shouted Maki.

"Genji, I see you've improved your Taijutsu and even used a feint to get behind your opponent. Continue working on your strength, stamina, and speed."

"Yaoki, you need to stop being afraid of your opponent. You also have to improve your guard too. Plain and simple."

**Quest Complete!**

**You've gained 25 EXP!**

Since both of us had little to no injuries, we were both told to go back to the others to watch and learn from the spars. Making sure that I was out of Maki's line of sight, I watched the fights and practiced **[Paper-Sticking]** at the same time.

After the spars was over, we went inside one of the indoor training rooms and ran several laps around the room. It was the same room Aki used that had the small obstacles to jump over.

**[Running]'s level has increased by 1!**

**[Jumping]'s level has increased by 1!**

**[Jumping]'s level has increased by 1!**

**[Running]'s level has increased by 1!**

**You gained +1 AGI!**

With school finally over, I ran to the bathroom and pulled out my [Small Battle Fan] from my inventory. Exiting the lavatory and entering room 102, I sat next to Temari again placing the fan on the desk in front of me.

"Good afternoon Temari-san.", I greeted her to be polite. In return, she said "Hnn."

Since when does she speak the Uchiha language? Guess she's not in the mood for conversation today.

"Good afternoon class, how's everyone doing? If you brought a small battle fan with you today, then please have it in front of you so I can see it.", said Kan before he started walking towards me to see my fan for inspection.

He picked it up, opened it up, and examined every part of it. Kon then placed it down and concluded, "I see you bought a fan made of superb materials and excellent workmanship Genji."

**Quest Complete!**

**You've gained +10 EXP!**

**Your relations with Kan and Temari has increased by 5!**

**Gained Title: **Aspiring Fanboy

**Effects:** +15% proficiency learning Suna's fan arts.

He moved around the room looking and commenting on those who brought a fan with them.

"Wonderful! Now everyone follow me outside so we can practice some additional Fan katas for you to memorize and 200 daily swings."

You know how in animes where you see people swing a bamboo sword shouting numbers like one and two, whether they are in the kendo club or not? Well we're doing the same thing, except swinging an open battle fan sideways along with overhead strikes.

According to Kan, this is necessary to build up arm strength, muscle memory, and discipline. A person who has mastered the fan arts can swing a giant war fan so fast, that you'll miss the movement if you blink.

**[Fan Mastery]'s**** level has risen by 1!**

**You gained +1 STR!**

**You gained +1 DEX!**

**You gained +1 DEX!**

**[Fan Mastery]'s**** level has risen by 1!**

"Great work everyone! For those of you who bought their own fan, then I want you to do 50 sideways swings and 50 overhead strikes with an open fan. You're dismissed for the day.", he told us before leaving.

"Bye Temari-san."

After parting with Temari, I went back to Katsuo's place for dinner. Concluding my task of washing the dishes for dinner, I left to go to a weapons shop to buy some senbon.

Going into the area of Suna that had several weapon shops near each other, I entered each one to figure out where I'm going to buy some and looked at the information above each of the smith's heads to find the best of the best.

I finally found one who met my criteria and he was a bearded muscleman you didn't want to mess around with.

**Journeyman Blacksmith**

**Level 12**

**Tetsuya**

He was sitting behind a casher reception desk busy polishing a weapon. With a polite tone of voice, I asked "Hey mister! Do you sell kunai, shuriken, or senbon? If you do, how much are you selling them for?"

The man looked up from his job saying "Hmm? Prices for weapons are listed on that board over there." Then he returned his attention back to polishing a sword.

Going to the board, I searched for the prices of the items I wanted to buy.

**500 Ryo Kunai set**

**500 Ryo Shuriken set**

**500 Ryo Senbon set**

***Each set contains five of each weapon* **

Calculating the prices in my head, I decided to buy a lot of all three weapon types.

"Excuse me mister, I want to buy four sets of kunai, shuriken, and senbon each."

The man replied, "Your total is 6,000 Ryo." He then put the weapon down and palmed his hand.

Putting the required money in his palm, he inspected the cash before putting it into the register, and then packaged all my weapons in a thick cloth bag.

"Thanks for shopping here. I placed your items inside a bag so you wouldn't get injured carrying all these weapons. Please come back again."

Walking out the shop with the bag in tow, I deposited the bag into my inventory while I was on a side street.

Back in my room, I decided to start training. ID Create: Empty ID.

Inside there, I did double the amount of what Kan asked us to do. 100 overhead strikes and 100 sideway swings. After 50 swings with the fan in my right hand, I switched with my left hand.

**You gained +1 DEX!**

**[Ambidextrous]'s level has risen by 1!**

ID Escape. Exiting the dungeon, I took a small break to rest and mentally prepare myself for some zombie hunting.

ID Create: Zombie ID.

Once inside the dungeon, I look all around me to make sure there's no Zombie Ninja behind me. For the next two hours, I spent my time hunting isolated Zombie Kids and Civilians with my battle fan.

Every zombie I encountered, I would use **[Observe]** on them. I've also noticed some peculiar quirks about each monster.

Level 1 zombies are kids and toddlers. Level 2 zombies are adult civilians like a merchant. Their level 3 counterparts always travel in pairs consisting of a male and female zombie combo. They're called a Zombie Couple and will enter an enraged state if their partner is attacked.

Finally for the level 4 zombies, they're called the Zombie Parent because they travel with two Zombie Kids and will enter an enraged state when you injure or kill at least one of the two kids.

While they may be called Kids, Civilian, Couples, and Parent, they're still classified as Zombie Civilians.

Two hours of fighting later, I've defeated 20 kids, 15 civilians, and 14 couples. It's not a lot, but after what happened yesterday, I've decided to double check my surroundings.

So far, I've netted a total of **+233 EXP**, **4,750 Ryo**, and I even leveled up.

**Your level has risen by 1!**

**Gained 5 spendable points.**

Now I'm level two for now. Going back to my room and using **[ID Escape]**, I wanted to experiment with the dead bone pulse again.

ID Create: Empty ID. Before I commenced the experiment, I stripped and removed every article of clothing to avoid the bloody mess I'm about to create.

Recollecting how Kimimaro removed his spine to make a weapon, I focused Chakra into the calcium of my spinal column and making it emerge from my upper back.

**-25 HP! -30 CP!**

Feeling the bony handle pop out, I focused even more Chakra into it to augment its properties. Then I grabbed it and yanked it out forcefully. And when I did, I felt one thing. PAIN!

**-250 HP! -250 CP!**

As soon as my spine came out, I collapsed to the ground paralyzed. While waiting for my spinal column to regenerate, I saw a notification in front of me.

**[Dead Bone Pulse]'s level has risen by 1!**

That's good to know. Checking how much HP and CP used for this, I noticed pulling my spine out costs around half my HP reserves and current CP pool.

While laying on the ground, I saw the sword laying in front of me. Observe.

**Spinal Column Bone Sword - Rank: Average**

**-A bone sword made by a five year old's spinal column. It would have been a great sword, if the user was more grown up. Its density is equivalent to an iron sword.**

**-While the Dead Bone Pulse user is inexperienced, he managed to focus changing the density while** **infusing chakra into the calcium of his bones.**

**+Durability: 10/10 | ****+10 attack**

Well, the good news is I survived. However, my newly made sword and myself are covered in ripped flesh and the smell of fresh blood.

Going to the shower in my bathroom, I thought 'ID Escape' and reappeared back in my bedroom. Turning on the shower, I washed myself of the blood and ripped skin covering my new weapon.

I can definitely see why some people would consider those with this bloodline to be a monster. Now that I have a decent sword and a battle fan. I think I'll test out my martial skills against the zombies.

* * *

**April 13: Thursday**

It's another boring day at school and I'm being a naughty boy by not paying attention. During Maki's lecture on general education subjects, I was doing some Chakra control exercises.

To the teacher's perspective, it looked like I was paying attention. But behind the raised desk, I was practicing some my **[Paper-Sticking]** to increase my Chakra control.

Unfortunately, I received a piece of chalk to my forehead by Maki because I attempted to meditate during her lecture. To her however, it looked like I was falling asleep.

**-5 HP!**

"Genji! Though basic subjects might be a bit boring, it is still a very important subject!", yelled Maki in a annoyed tone.

"Sorry sensei, I'll pay attention next time."

When it came time to learn about Chakra, Maki took the older kids to learn about Jutsu. Nonota took us to the work on Paper-Sticking again.

Some of the kids whined to Nonota about when they can learn Jutsu. According to him, one has to be six years old to learn Jutsu like the Clone Jutsu and such.

Though to me, the Academy's pacing is slow as heck. Didn't someone graduate from the Ninja Academy by 6 years old?

**[Paper-Sticking]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Paper-Sticking]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Paper-Sticking]'s level has risen by 1!**

Following free period and lunch, we practiced our sand katas and ran on the obstacle course. And when school was finally over, I pulled out my Beginner's Puppetry Kit and brought it to Puppetry 101.

Kon came into the room carrying a large rolled up piece of paper. He greeted, "Hello everyone, I see some of you have bought a Beginner's Puppetry Kit. Well that's good because we're going to be using that kit to examine and see the basic fundamentals of a puppet's inner working."

**Quest complete!**

**You've gained 10 EXP!**

**Your relations with Kon has increased by 5.**

**Gained Title: **Aspiring Puppeteer

**Effects:** +15% proficiency learning Suna's puppet arts.

"Starting with the wooden humanoid puppet, I want everyone to use the screwdriver and open up the doll's backside."

Opening the puppet's backside, I saw a myriad of mechanisms like joints and iron cables going towards the arms and legs. Then Kon posted the piece of paper on the board that actually turned out to be a diagram of the puppet's inner workings.

"You see that spherical joint with iron wires running through its center at the upper back everyone? That is the spinal joint and it's very important part of the puppet."

"The chakra thread from our fingers connecting to that joint allows the puppet to levitate above the ground and move through the air. A small portion of the thread's chakra will travel through the iron wires running throughout the body."

"A puppet master can control a puppet by using only one thread connected to the spinal joint to manipulate one puppet. The master will then send a pulse of Chakra through the thread to the joint to make to puppet move accordingly to the user's will."

"Now reattach the cover back on the puppet and pull out the small bamboo snake. For those of you who can make a Chakra thread, use a thread to connect to the red wire running through the snake and mimic a snake's natural movement. Those of you who can't, will observe the others who can and watch how it's done.", Kon finished.

Turning around and watching the class, I saw only three students who could make a Chakra thread. Everyone else was crowding around two boys, while nobody was watching the third person who just happens to be Saya.

I watched the two student's manipulation of the wooden snake, but it was choppy and erratic. I then moved over to Saya and watched her wooden snake.

She had a Chakra thread coming from her right index finger and twitched her finger making the fake snake look natural. Even though she has a nasty personality, I can definitely say her skill is significantly better than the other two students.

"Hey you! Are you watching me because I'm the strongest right?", Saya stated watching me with an unnerving stare. Her hidden intent was basically, 'You better agree that I'm strong or your life will become a living hell'.

She has a superiority complex so it'll be a hassle to disagree with her. The best course of action is to butter up her ego by agreeing, which will make it easier to filch information from her.

"Yes, you are the strongest in this room. I've seen the movements of all three snakes and yours is naturally fluid. This shows you have great control and skill."

**Your relations with Saya has increased by 5!**

She stuck her nose up in the air and declared, "Hmph! As the next future head of my family, of course I'm strong. My name is Saya and you will call me Lady Saya, Genji-san."

Hmm, so she wants to go with the Ojou-sama route eh? Should I ask her for some Chakra control tips?

She is arrogant and she might want boast about her skills. Let's do it.

"By the way Lady Saya, how strong do you have to be at Paper-Sticking to do a Chakra thread like yours?"

"It's such a simple task, all you have to do is be able to hold the paper on your fingertips for at least five minutes. Someone as strong as me can hold ten pieces of paper for around three minutes."

Great! Kissing her ass really did net me some valuable information. However I can already do that with my current Chakra reserves.

"Thank you for explaining it to me Lady Saya." She nodded in return and focused on her puppet's movement.

I continued watching how she moved her finger to control the puppet. I even noticed Kon looking amused for some reason. After a half an hour passed, Kon told us to stop what we're doing and to pay attention.

"Okay class, now that you've seen how a Chakra thread is used to manipulate a puppet, I'm going to teach you how to make one. Some of may not be able to make one until you increased your Chakra control."

All the new students started cheering in excitement and paid attention to Kon's explanation.

"Chakra threads are constructs made of very concentrated Chakra in the shape of strings. These strings act as an extension of the user and allows one to manipulate whatever is attached at the end of the string."

"These strings can transfer Chakra pulses from the user to the puppet to activate techniques and attacks. A skilled puppeteer can suppress the chakra so the strings become invisible to the naked eye."

"Now that we've reviewed on what Chakra threads actually are, we're going to learn how to do it. I want everyone follow my step by step instructions."

"First, place a small piece of paper on one finger tip and maintain the Paper-Sticking technique. Secondly, feel the Chakra between the paper and the finger."

"Finally, you push the Chakra connected to the paper outwards at a steady rate forming a string. Some of you may find it hard if you haven't learned Rock-Climbing or Sand-Walking. If you're not successful, then I want you to continue practicing Paper-Sticking."

"Too much Chakra will make it unstable, while too little will just make it disappear."

Following Kon's directions, I placed a paper on my right index finger tip and used **[Paper-Sticking]**. Focusing on the Chakra between the two, I slowly expelled the Chakra outwards visualizing making a string connecting the two.

Then my string fizzled out meaning I used too little. Repeating the process again, I managed to form a string, but it disappeared again.

Doing it again, I finally managed to create a string. As the string formed, I saw a blue colored Chakra thread connecting the two things together. Looking over the thread I just made, it's around 1 meter long.

Canceling the thread, I repeated the exercise to make sure I've got the technique down.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to form threads made out of Chakra!**

**Chakra Threads (Passive/Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A versatile skill that enables the user to form strings made of concentrated Chakra to manipulate whatever is attached to them. This skill is a necessity in learning and using the [Puppet Technique].**

**+CP Cost: (30 X # of threads) = # per minute**

**+1% INT**

**+Thread Length Limit: 1 Meter**

"For those of you who just learned the skill, don't worry about how short or thick it is. Your just a beginner after all. Anyways, you're all dismissed for it's 6:00 PM right now.

Getting up with my kit in hand, I gave a farewell to Saya to not be rude and ruin my efforts.

"Bye Lady Saya, see you next time!"

"Hmm, see you."

Inside my room, I formed a Chakra thread and connected it to a piece of paper. There, I tried figuring out how to manipulate string's movement.

Holding it still makes the paper levitate and remain motionless. Moving my finger upwards made the paper move up. Likewise, moving it downwards made it move downward.

It's like my hand is the controller, the paper is a game character, and the movements of my hands determines the movement.

Done playing with the threads for now, I entered the Zombie ID to level up my hand-to-hand combat skills. All for the purpose of me kicking Kankuro's ass instead of the other way around.

Checking the current time that is 7:10 PM, I've decided to spend three hours inside this place. I also needed to find a place that has low leveled enemies roaming around with little to no high leveled zombies.

Due to my paranoia of a Zombie Ninja appearing again, it has slowed down my hunting speed. So to start, I'll head to the village outskirts and work my way in to find where the weak zombies congregate.

Along the way to the outskirts, I stealthily snuck by some Zombie Kids, Civilians, Couples, and Parents. Because I couldn't afford getting encircled by a mass number of zombies.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to sneak by the enemy without being detected.**

**Stealth (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 00.00%**

**-A skill that allows the user to move without making sound, mask their presence, and remain undetected from enemies and allies alike.**

**+Reduces movement speed by 95% while active.**

**+5% stealth**

Reaching the village outskirts, I looked around and found four zombie kids in a group. I thought of engaging a lone zombie, but decided that I can handle these level one monsters.

Focusing on the group, I walked towards them and they noticed me immediately. The group shambled over to me and attacked with their usual punches and lunging hugs to restrain me.

Dodging their attacks, I tested how much damage I could do with some basic punches from the **[Beginner Suna Taijutsu]** on a noncritical spot on the kid like its stomach.

**-13.26 HP! -13.26 HP!**

Avoiding the other kid's attacks, I continued to mix it up with some kicks and focused on killing one zombie at a time. Soon all of them died and I've seen my rewards.

**You've gained +12 EXP!**

**You've gained 300 Ryo!**

**[Beginner Suna Taijutsu]'s level has risen by 1!**

With my success here, I continued prowling the outskirts for more zombies to kill. And when my self-imposed time limit neared its end, I've killed another 22 Kids, 19 Civilians, and 14 Couples.

These results gave me **+259 EXP**, **+5,300 Ryo**, another seven levels in **[Beginner Suna Taijutsu]**, and one level in **[Taijutsu Mastery]**. Back at my room in the real world, I can definitely say the only monsters I encountered on the outer edges of Suna ranged from the level 1 Zombie Kid to the level 7 Zombie Bandit.

* * *

**April 16: Sunday**

Nothing important happened in the past few days. It was just going to school, leveling up my skills, and killing zombies in the Zombie ID.

In the past two days, I've killed a total of 40 Zombie Kids, 38 Zombie Civilians, 26 Zombie Couples. This gave me a grand sum of **+492 EXP**, **10,050 Ryo**, and a level up from 2 to 3.

Back on Friday in Way of the Fan, I learned why Temari wasn't in an agreeable mood when I talked on Wednesday. I asked her if I did anything to upset her in some way.

She replied that I didn't do anything wrong. It's just family issues with her youngest brother. Gaara must be having one of those random fits of crazy.

Yesterday, I practiced throwing senbon at the Academy's weapon range till I got the **[Senbon Mastery]** skill. This is what the skill's description looks like.

**Senbon Mastery (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Allows the user to wield senbon and senbon weapon techniques effectively and efficiently in both close and ranged combat.**

**+1% DEX**

**+5% attack damage and 2.5% attack speed**

Right now, I'm currently inside the library reading books. Some of the staff have asked why I haven't shown up ever since the start of the school year.

I explained that I'm taking both Way of the Fan and Puppetry 101. They understood what I was referring to and sung praises about me saying that I'm a hard worker.

Finishing another short book that was only 25 pages long, I returned the book to the cart and searched for another book. In the History and Geography section, I picked up a book called **[What Makes Suna Unique]**.

There were some things inside that I knew and didn't know. Like for example, Suna doesn't have clans like Konoha. Suna's version of clans are called families instead such as the Hōki Family.

The Hōki Family is a matrilineal shinobi family of medical-nin and information gatherers. They're unique in that the women of the family don't show their faces without makeup to any man, with the exception to the man they're going to marry.

Reading that they're called families here, I then recalled my conversation with Saya on how she said that she was the future head of her family.

Troublesome! No wonder her younger sister repeatedly says "Onee-sama", Mamushi continues being subservient, and the civilian students letting her have it her way.

Placing the book back on the shelf, I continued exploring the library and saw a orange book with an orange spine sticking out very slightly. Grabbing the book, I pulled it out of the bookshelf and checked what it is.

Then I gasped when I saw the familiar title authored by a famous writer.

The cover showed a man wearing a white shirt and blue pants chasing a lady wearing a red dress with big breasts. There was big bold words at the top that said **[Icha Icha Paradise]** and below showed the name of the author called Jiraiya.

Observe!

**Icha Icha Paradise: Volume 1 - Rank: Average**

**-An erotic novel written by the best selling author, one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya of Konoha. It's about a romantic encounter and adventure between a man and a woman and the intimate relation between the two****.**

**+Durability: 69/100**

Wait a minute! If I read an erotic book, does it count towards my bookworm book total?

I MUST FIND OUT THE ANSWER IMMEDIATELY! For research purposes of course!

Quietly running towards an isolated table, I set the book down flat to make it look like I'm reading an ordinary book to the staff's perspective.

**2 hours later**

WOW! The way Jiraiya wrote the scenes using bold adjectives to describe everything. The scenery, the wonders of the female body, and especially the sex scenes.

No wonder Kakashi reads this book series and Jiraiya is freaking rich! Once you read it, you're hooked and addicted.

Just as I was about to read the last page and reach the climax, the book disappeared from my view. Looking behind me, I see a blushing young female librarian standing directly behind me.

What clued her in on what I was reading? Was it because I giggled?

However, it seems like she looked over my shoulder to see what book I was currently reading. Curses! To think I was so close to finding out the answer to my question.

"Genji! Where did you get this and why are you reading it?"

Ahh shit, better come up with a lie! Think brain! Think!

I got it! The solution is to play the dumb and dense card.

"Ummm, I found it in the history section of the library over there and decided to read it for academic research. The book had a man and woman wrestling with each other on a bed, a table, and the ground."

"Thanks to this book, I now know several wrestling Taijutsu techniques that are super effective against girls. I'll even use it at school when I spar against a girl should it happen."

"NO! NO! NO! You are not to use these techniques on girls EVER! Especially at the Ninja Academy! Until you are grown man Genji-san, don't use them!"

She walks away carrying the book and I hear her saying "Such books shouldn't be in the library in the first place" and "That moron's book has corrupted a young genius."

Success! With that, I did an imaginary fist pump in my head for managing to divert the blame onto somebody else.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to fool people into believing your lies!**

**Deception (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Enables the user to make up believable lies and fool their enemies.**

**+1% chance of people believing your lies or being fooled by your deceptive tricks.**

* * *

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya - **Class:** The Gamer - **Age:** 5

**Titles:**

**[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% proficiency learning Academy subjects and skills.)

**[Bookworm]** (+2 INT and WIS for every 50 books read from start to finish and +30% relations with the Sunagakure Library staff. Books read: 7)

**[Aspiring Fanboy]** (+15% proficiency learning Suna's fan arts.)

**[Aspiring Puppeteer]** (15% proficiency learning Suna's puppet arts.)

**Status:** Normal, +9% Evasion, and +4.24 DEF

**Level:** 3 - **EXP:** 389/750

**HP:** 424.2 - **HP Regen:** 12.46 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 427/854 - **CP Regen:** 2.75 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 10 + (10 X .23) = 12.3

**VIT:** 14 + (14 X .78) = 24.92

**PE:** 37.22

**WIS:** 12 + (Meditation 10) + (22 X .25) = 27.5

**INT:** 18 + (Meditation 10) + (28 X .11) = 31.08

**SE:** 58.58

**DEX:** 9 + (Ambidextrous 11) + (20 X .33) = 26.6

**AGI:** 13 + (Sandals 2) + (15 X .56) = 23.4

**LUK:** 6

**Fame/Infamy:** 10/0

**Unspent points:** 15

**Money:** 57,111 Ryo - (Weapons 6,000 Ryo) + (Zombie Hunting 20,950) = 72,061 Ryo

**Kaguya Genji is a paranoid reincarnated young man who desires money and power to guarantee his wishes such as his survival past the 4th Shinobi War and his mother's wellbeing.**

**He feels indebted to his mother Miya because she didn't throw him away after birth and tried her best to take care of him.**

**Currently at his age, he's weak and under leveled compared to Canon characters like Itachi and Kakashi. With the right training and ideas, he might be able to surpass them all.**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Yaoki is a character from the Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha in Naruto Shippūden Episode #182.

**Will he be able to beat Orochimaru in a fight at the Forest of Death:** No, the only thing he can do is run away. He can give him one hell of a fight, but he'll lose.

**Will he be one of the strongest Genin at the Chunin exams in Konoha:** Yes.

I added the skill **[Deception]** to the this chapter as a result for successfully lying to the librarian. I give credit and thanks to **LordGhostStriker** and **Guest** for the idea of the lie or deception skill.

I'd like to thank **serialkeller**, for noticing the kunai prices being too high.


	8. A Surprise Encounter

**Disclaimer:** **Familiar characters and references you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 8: A Surprise Encounter**

Oh! I gained a new skill, especially an essential ability that the teachers might have taught later on. Though I'm still pissed I didn't get to finish the Icha Icha Book and was left on figurative cliffhanger.

Should I put more of a priority on leveling the **[Reading]** skill to read some books faster?

NO! Erotic novels are supposed to be read at a leisurely slow pace. Oh well, nothing I can do about it.

Huh, lunchtime already? Time really does fly by when you read a good book.

During lunch back at the dorm, my mind went over some of the details of the Icha Icha I've read. It's a romantic comedy with plot, porn, and some decent character development.

But for some reason, I'm getting this nagging feeling I'm forgetting something important relating to books.

Homework? The only homework Maki recently assigned is to continue practicing and honing our weapon throwing skills.

Book report? Essay? That happened one month ago.

Huh? Wait a minute.

What did I just say earlier? Increase my **[Reading]** skill to read some books faster.

**[Reading]** skill? Book? Skill book?

AAH, it's skill books! That's what I forgot to do here.

I haven't learned any new abilities or skills via the skill book method. Though despite all the books I've picked up at the library, I haven't received a notification to learn a new skill.

Is it because the books are public property and not my private property? Or some other factor?

I'll have to test my suspicions by going to a local bookstore. Maybe I can learn several support skills that'll increase my chances of surviving a fight like Iryō Ninjutsu? Or crafting skills that'll augment my offensive and defensive capabilities such as blacksmithing and woodworking?

Why not just buy them all if I have the money? I've already noticed that some skills grant passive bonus stats and percentages the more I level them up. I can see the path to OP already.

Though the problem at hand is actually finding a bookstore. Despite all the wandering I've done, I haven't found one yet. In fact, does this village even have one in the first place?

With this place's slowly deteriorating economy, will people have enough money to waste on buying books? Probably best to ask someone for the location of such places and who better than the librarian staff?

Rushing back to the library, I met the same blushing female librarian who took the Icha Icha away.

"Excuse me miss, do you know where I can find some bookstores and give me directions to them? Pretty please?"

"Yes, I do know of some bookstores Genji-san." Her eyes then narrowed at me and she said, "Wait! You're not planning on buying **[Icha Icha Paradise]** are you!?"

"No miss, I just wanted to see if there was some books to help me with my studies like first aid for common injuries. Even though I can read such books here for free, I can read them back in my room."

**[Deception]'s level has risen by 1!**

"I know of such a place. A majority of them are located in a place called Bookstore Alley in the Shopping District. You'll find the place near the area where they sell luxurious goods."

"Thanks Miss! By the way, what did you do with that orange book?"

"I've disposed that book from the library so it will never be read again. It's something you shouldn't read, until you grow up. See you next time!"

"Bye, see you next Sunday."

Hmm, she said 'disposed' meaning it could've been discarded into the garbage bin outside the library.

Time to go dumpster diving! My curiosity demands I finish that book to see the perverted conclusion and whether it counts for my **[Bookworm]** title.

Exiting the library, I circled around the building to find the dumpster or trash the lady could've put my treasure in. Finding the trash behind the building and making sure the coast was clear of any nearby activities, I pried the lid off as quietly and quickly.

The smell wasn't too bad and I peeked inside on my tip toes to see my prize at the very top of the pile. The lady thought innocent little Genji would be a good boy today, but she's wrong!

Swiftly grabbing the book and storing it inside my inventory, I placed the lid back on so I left no evidence of my illegal activities. Is dumpster diving even illegal in the first place? Eh, who cares?

Sprinting back to the dorm and up the stairs into my room, I locked the door to make sure nobody will interrupt my reading time. Currently, the title says "**Books read: 7**."

Opening the book to the last page, I sat down to read the conclusion of the protagonist's romantic and intimate experience with his sexy lady friend. The story's concluded with the two lovers becoming a couple and I saw the afterword mentioning a second edition coming soon.

Checking the title again, it now said "**Books read: 8**." So erotic adult literature does count after all.

Jiraiya's book series is a literal gateway drug that'll corrupt one male at a time in the Elemental Nations. Before placing the book away, I got a cleaning rag and wiped it down to clean away some of the dirt.

Washing my hands and body of the filth from dumpster diving, I traveled to the shopping district to find some books to buy. Passing by the luxury area, I saw a foreign merchant from the Land of Fire selling milk.

**Emerald Valley Farm's Salesman**

**Level 10**

**Sato**

In front of the salesman, there was a tough looking Jonin with scars buying several pints of milk. Feeling curious, I used **[Observe]** on the milk being sold to see its effects.

**Pint of Cold Milk - Rank: Superior**

**-Milk imported from Emerald Valley Farms located in the Land of Fire. With fresh grass, clean air, and fresh water, the dairy cows produce this excellent quality milk that will promote a healthy body.**

**-One of several ingredients that will decrease the chances of disorders and diseases caused by Calcium or Phosphorus deficiency.**

**+50 HP Recovery**

**+5 VIT for 5 minutes**

Hmmm, I can always add some milk to my diet. I've been wanting to drink some milk for some time and I now have the income source to buy some. Approaching the sales stall, I saw the prices on a nearby wooden sign.

**Emerald Valley Farms**

**Quality Milk You Won't Find Anywhere Else**

**250 Ryo per pint**

**495 Ryo per quart**

**1,970 per gallon**

Checking my Ryo count, I have more than enough money to buy some milk. The question is how much to buy? To heck with it, I'll buy them all.

"Excuse me mister, I would like to buy some milk."

"Certainly. How much do you want to buy?"

"Four pints, two quarts, and a gallon."

"That'll be 3,960 Ryo."

The young salesman in his 20's sounded doubtful that I'm actually here to buy some milk. He keeps looking around his surroundings checking for something.

It's as if he's thinking I'm a distraction to help some street urchins steal valuable merchandise. Inserting my hand in my Tanu-chan, I showed him 4,000 Ryo.

Sato saw the money and his attitude flipped from doubtful and rude to respectfully polite.

"Please wait while I go get your order."

The salesman stepped back a few steps and opened a giant refrigerator to retrieve some milk. Though what I saw inside the fridge was amazing.

The inner walls of the refrigerator was lined with Fuinjutsu formulas designed to keep the contents cold. This might explain how he keeps his merchandise fresh without spoiling or electricity despite the distance from the Land of Fire to this location.

I must find a way to copy and learn that sealing formula for my own use. I can use it on things like clothes to keep me cool during Suna's intense Summers or an air conditioned puppet armor if I ever design one.

Sato grabbed what I ordered and placed them in some bags for me to carry them. Handing the money over and receiving 40 Ryo in change, Sato replied "Here you go. Thank you for your patronage."

Obtaining my groceries, I placed them all in my inventory at the nearest abandoned alley. I've tested my inventory ability earlier and any food placed inside will not spoil because of a stasis effect. So if I place something cold inside, it'll be cold when I withdraw it from my inventory.

On the way to Bookstore Alley, I considered buying Emerald Valley's milk in bulk because of their superior quality. Though I'll have to check out the other stalls at a later time to see if they sell superior milk at a cheaper price.

Along the way, I'd have to ask people for directions due to so many people around making it easy to get lost if I didn't have my mini-map feature. Arriving at my destination, I saw several bookstores on both sides of the street.

meaning I don't have to go on an Easter egg hunt for another store if one doesn't suit my needs.

Searching for a place to buy books from, I decided to enter a place called Honda's General Bookstore. Opening the door, I heard the chime of a ringing bell from above. Must be a security measure.

Closing the door, I saw the owner of this establishment behind the cashier desk watching my movements. She's a lady in her 50's dressed in a brown cloak and wearing thick rimmed glasses.

**Average Bookstore Owner**

**Level 9**

**Honda**

"Hello there young boy, welcome to Honda's General Bookstore! How may I be of service?"

Hearing her question, I thought to myself what books I should get. OH!

Since I can't attend the **[Medicine]** afterschool program, I'll ask for several books related to the medical field. Just because I have a super healing factor doesn't give me an excuse to remain woefully ignorant of basic first aid and healing.

Not to mention Sasori's poisons are potent enough to ensure death after a few days pass by. If there's one thing the Academy drills in your head, it's "Whenever you fight a Suna ninja whether they're allies or missing-nin, ALWAYS assume the weapons they use are coated with poison."

Speaking of afternoon programs, I should make sure I buy a book about woodworking before returning home. Most if not all puppets are crafted and made out of wood, so this skill is a must.

Another is blacksmithing since the joints and weapons of the puppet are made out of metal. In some fantasy games, one can make wearable bone armor that's very durable against enemy attacks.

But something like that will require a high level in blacksmithing. Maybe I could make a puppet made entire of durable bones instead of fragile wood?

"AHEM! Are you to here to buy or not?!"

Oops, I spent too much time with my inner monologue. Better say what I want before the lady kicks me out.

"Sorry miss. Umm, do you have books about basic first aid, human anatomy, medicinal plants, and medical books? Also some books about woodworking and blacksmithing too."

"I see, you must be a student at the Academy taking the **[Medicine]** program right?

I nodded in agreement and said "Yes, that's right. I've been borrowing another student's books and I need my own personal copy for study."

**[Deception]'s skill level has increased by 1.**

"Of course, my store definitely has the books you're looking for. Please wait a moment, while I gather them."

As she left to go gather my books, I started reading the nearest magazine I could grab. Ironically, this one is of the adult variety.

Reading the articles inside it, I learned of several things that'll be happening soon. There's going to be an Icha Icha Paradise Volume 1 with illustrations in it. The second volume will be coming out next year and the author gave some hints as to what will be in it.

Jiraiya hinted that the plot would be about the protagonist's romantic misadventures with his girlfriend and her sexy sister. There may or may not be a hot steamy threesome. Knowing the perverted sage, the threesome will definitely happen.

There's also going to be a movie based on Icha Icha Paradise as well. Flipping a page of the magazine, I suddenly had an epiphany.

Do magazines count as books for my **[Bookworm]** title? Are they even classified as books in the first place?

Flipping onto the next page, I saw a bunch of women in a variety of sexy poses in bikinis. Oh, this lady has a nice bubble butt and that one has knockers to rival Tsunade.

As I continued to flip through the pages, I feel like I'm in that one episode where Naruto takes Konohamaru into a bookstore to read up on sexiness.

Unfortunately, I had to stop my research since I heard the lady's footsteps coming closer. Placing the magazine back to where I found it and acting inconspicuous, she came back and placed several books on the table.

"Here are all the books of the subjects you asked for. This piece of paper shows the list of books and the prices for that book on it. When you're done, please pick the books you want to buy and take them to the counter over here."

Judging from her behavior, she doesn't suspect me to be doing something I wasn't supposed to.

"Thanks miss!"

The pile contained 21 books and I touched each one to see if I'll get a notification. I've touched each one and out the entire pile, five of them are skill books.

I'm so excited by the prospect of learning several new skills that I decided to buy all 21 books. The 16 that aren't skill books will be helpful in leveling up these five skills I'm about to learn soon.

Approaching Honda, I said "I'd like to buy all 21 books miss."

She was surprised that I was going to buy so many and asked "Are you sure you can afford that young man? The total is 8,150 Ryo."

Nodding in response, I pulled out the necessary Ryo and paid her. She took the money and decided to wrap the books in a cloth sack so I have an easier time carrying them all.

Exiting the store and hearing Honday say "Have a nice day!", I found a narrow alleyway and shoved the sacks inside my inventory. Back in my dorm room, I activated **[ID Create: Empty ID]** so I could learn the following skills in privacy.

Once inside the empty dungeon, I unwrapped the cloth pack and grabbed the first book off the pile. Let's start the learning process!

Each time I learned a new skill, the book disintegrated into several particles of light and rushed towards my head. Sometimes, I'd feel a pain that only lasts a few seconds before disappearing.

After I absorbed all five skill books, I learned the following skills:

**Woodworking (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Allows the user to work items from wood into whatever the user's mind can imagine by wood carving, carpentry, and etc.**

**+1% STR, VIT, and DEX.**

**+2% decreased chance of mistakes and +2% greater detail.**

**Blacksmithing (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Allows the user to forge things such as armor, weapons, and other stuff into whatever the user's mind can think of as long as he's got patience and perseverance to work with the materials at hand.**

**+1% STR, VIT, and DEX.**

**+2% decreased chance of mistakes and +2% ****greater detail.**

**Basic First Aid (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Allows the user to use basic first aid skills to heal and cure common injuries. A very important skill needed to survive on the battlefield, prolong your life and others to fight another day, and is the first step towards becoming a medical ninja.**

**+1% removing negative status debuffs**

**Herbalism (Passive/Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00% **

**-Allows the user to find and harvest reagents properly without damaging them and extract medicinal components from them. Reagents will emit a slight shimmering twinkle and can be turned off if it's distracting to the user.**

**+1% INT**

**+1% chance of finding reagents in the environment, harvesting without damaging them, and successfully extract ingredient components.**

**Human Anatomy and Physiology (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00% **

**-Grants the user detailed knowledge of the inner workings of the human body when its healthy including organs, main tenketsu points, how each body part works, and other things.**

**+1% WIS and INT**

**+1% accurately diagnosing injuries, diseases, common ailments, and applying proper treatment with precision and efficiency.**

Hahaha! More skills that'll help increase my Chakra reserves. ID Escape.

For the rest of the day, I spent my time reading the books I bought.

* * *

**April 17: Monday**

In class today, I've heard Abiru and Tomari grumble about how boring some of the Academy classes are. Abiru wished that he could graduate early so he can spend more time learning how to become a ninja and playing with his friends.

His suggestion of graduating early easily grabbed my attention and I thought of what are the benefits of doing so. If I graduated early, then I could go on missions, earn more combat experience, earn more money, reunite with mother, and travel the land.

**Ding!**

**Quest Alert!**

**Watch out everyone, we got a genius over here in Suna!**

**The Gamer is tired of the slow and boring Academy.**

**Quest Objective: **Graduate from Ninja Academy on March 31 after turning 7 years old.

**Quest Reward:** +10,000 EXP, +50 Fame, and Suna Ninja Headband.

**Quest Failure:** You'll be forced to graduate at 12 years old like everyone else.

**[Yes] or [No]?**

Yes. Challenge accepted.

However, the only problem I see is I'm cramming seven years of learning material into two years.

But first, I need to know what will be on the graduation exam so I know what to study. After class ended, I asked Maki some questions.

"Maki-sensei, when will we learn basic first aid and subjects related to it? What about learning common poisons, their effects, and cures?

"We'll be covering basic first aid for common injuries and basic poisons of Suna pretty soon, probably next month. For further details about these subjects, you can read about them at the library."

"When will we be learning the Chakra control exercises of climbing surfaces?"

"You mean Rock-Climbing and Sand-Walking? Those exercises will be learned when you turn six years old."

Rock climbing? So we have to use chakra on our feet to successfully climb a cliff which may or may not lead to my impending death or injury? I think I'll practice on my bedroom wall than a cliff.

"What day is the Academy Graduation Exam held, what subjects does it cover, and what are the requirements for passing?"

"The graduation exam is held on the same day as the Spring Term Exam day which is March 31. The subjects you will be tested on will be the following."

**Graduation Exam Testing Criteria**

**1.) Written exam about general education, hypothetical ninja scenarios, and problem solving puzzles.**

**2.) Ninja tool target practice.**

**3.) Basic 3 Academy Jutsu, Escape jutsu, Rock-Climbing, and Sand-Walking.**

**4.) Taijutsu spar against one fellow student and a teacher.**

**5.) One day of wilderness survival and navigating in the desert alone.**

"You will need to have an overall grade of at least 70% to pass the graduation exam. But you don't worry about graduation, not until your 12 years old."

"Since we're not at war with anyone, you should enjoy your childhood more Genji-san.", concluded a smiling Maki.

If only if you knew what I know Maki. Then you'd be training your butt off to ensure your survival.

Thanks to Maki's information, I now know what to study and what to practice. Now I just have to train and do whatever it takes to make it happen.

* * *

**One year later, April 10: Tuesday**

It's been nearly a year since the day I accepted the quest to graduate as early. I don't have to ace the exam, but I need to make sure I score at least a 70% passing grade.

To ensure my plans of early graduation are successful, I wrote down a personalized training schedule I adhered to strictly. My schedule was mostly the same.

Except I spent some time researching how to increase each of my stats. After a month of observations, I finally figured out what activities to increase whatever stat I need.

**STR:** Do push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and lifting objects till exhaustion.

**VIT:** Any activity that'll quickly exhaust your stamina.

**WIS:** Deep thinking of ideas, forming conclusions with some evidence backing them up, strategies, and connecting the dots.

**INT:** Reading books, studying, and learning new things.

**DEX:** Throwing ninja tools, swinging a weapon repeatedly, precise physical strikes, and or any activity that relies on your hands.

**AGI:** Running, jumping, side-to-side hops, sprinting, squats, and or any activity that relies on your feet or lower body.

**LUK:** Winning games of chance and calling the correct result a couple times in a row.

In the Fall Term, Maki and Nonota taught us the essential fundamentals and basic skills needed to become proper shinobi of Sunagakure. These skills are **[Trapping]**, **[Camouflage]**, **[Thievery]**, **[Chakra Reinforcement]**, **[Rope Escape Technique]**, and **[Dispel and Detect Genjutsu]**.

One would question why they're teaching us about Genjutsu early on and I concluded it's because of Suna's reputation. The idea that one should always assume a Suna-nin's weapon are poisonous and combined with Genjutsu makes it a deadly combination.

In the Spring Term after I turned six years old, Nonota taught us the **[Transformation Jutsu]**, **[Substitution Jutsu]**, and **[Clone Jutsu]**. Some students didn't have enough Chakra or the right thinking to use these Jutsu effectively.

He even taught us **[Rock-Climbing]** and **[Sand-Walking]**, but told us to not overdo it because Chakra exhaustion is dangerous. This proved true when some of my classmates tried walking on some surfaces and learned they didn't have enough Chakra to maintain the skill.

I also asked my patron a question about gaining power at my current standing.

**Question:** What is the fastest way for me to safely gain and secure power in Sunagakure?

**Reply:** **"Either reveal your Magnet Release bloodline limit to the public and/or graduate early from the academy like Kakashi."**

**"Graduating opens a lot of possibilities such as more free time for specialized training, better chakra control exercises, elemental chakra manipulation, access to learning poison recipes, access to adult businesses in the red light district, and other things."**

Hearing that answer, I stuck with my original plan of graduating early. Revealing my Iron Sand bloodline now would just make school life more of a hassle due to increased attention.

Early in the year, I even gained a new title after killing my 250th zombie.

**Gained Title: **Newb Zombie Hunter

**Effects:** +10% attack and defense when in combat against zombies.

Then the title evolved again after I killed zombie number 5,000.

**Evolved Title:** Apprentice Zombie Hunter

**Effects:** +25% attack and defense when in combat against zombies.

Due to killing at least 25 Kids, 23 Civilians, 20 Couples, and 3 Parents for around 290 days, I've gained several rewards like lots of Ryo and EXP. They gave me a grand total of **+2,066,250 Ryo** and **+103,530 EXP**.

Frankly, I'm surprised I didn't trigger a fight against a Legion Zombie from all the zombies I've killed. My theory is I need to massacre 100 or more in quick succession.

One would think I'd be level 50 with all the EXP I gained, but I'm only level 12. While the rewards from monsters killed remained the same no matter the level difference, the amount of EXP needed to level up increased a lot after I hit level 4.

**[ID Create]**'s level is now level 3 giving me access to the Ghost ID and close to leveling up again. Though I ignored it because I'm more focused on clearing the Zombie ID first.

The monsters listed on the Ghost ID sounded interesting though. Ghosts, Ghost Onmyouji, Ghost Grudge, and Genjutsu Ghosts.

Also another **+1,200 EXP** from Taijutsu spars against other students. Luckily for me, Maki paired me with easy to beat opponents.

Because of the large amount of Ryo I accumulated from zombie hunting, I received a special notice from the gaming system.

**Ding!**

** Your total Ryo count has surpassed 1,000,000.**

**Access to the [Abyss Auction] has been granted and you'll find it in your Main Menu.**

This newly added function made me curious and I browsed the shop for its wares. Their products listed on the site are divided into several categories.

Items/ingredients, accessories, weapons/armor, Jutsu skill scrolls, skill books/manuals, slave, blueprints, recipes, information/rumors, and auction. In addition, there's a trade-in option to trade my possessions for Ryo if I ever need money in a hurry.

When I clicked on skill books/manuals, I browsed the section of elemental affinity training checking the prices of each tier.

**Basics of Earth Affinity = 9,700 Ryo**

**Intermediate Earth Affinity Exercises = 21,340 Ryo**

**Advanced Earth Affinity Exercises = 32,980 Ryo**

All the other basic elementals was the same as above, so I looked into the Jutsu skill scrolls they were selling. These were some of the notable ones I saw that looked interesting to me.

**Shadow Clone Jutsu = 30,000,000 Ryo**

**Earth Release: Earth Spears = 25,000,000 Ryo**

**Lightning Release: Chakra Mode = 100,000,000 Ryo**

**Wind Release: Pressure Damage = 25,000,000 Ryo**

**Magnet Release: Lightning God Self = 27,500,000 Ryo**

**Rasengan = 100,000,000 Ryo**

**Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation = 750,000,000 Ryo**

Man, all those pricey skills I could get in the future. I'll buy the elemental affinity training books for all five elements after I discover what my inherent elemental affinities are.

Searching the site, I found a skill book titled **[Basic ****Fūinjutsu**** &amp; Essential Fundamentals]** and immediately bought it for 10,000 Ryo. Unfortunately, I didn't meet the requirements to learn it.

**You cannot learn this skill!**

**Requires [Calligraphy] Level 10.**

So for another 9,700 Ryo, I bought a **[Calligraphy]** skill book and used it immediately.

**Calligraphy (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-The visual art of writing by the skillful designing and swift execution of lettering with a writing instrument.**

**+1% DEX**

**+2% writing speed and +2% decreased chance of errors during the inking process.**

Eventually, I leveled the skill thanks to buying lots of paper, ink, and brushes from the general store for around 6,000 Ryo.

**Fūinjutsu**** (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill that allows the user to seal objects, living beings, chakra, and a wide variety of other things within another object. It can also be used to restrict movement, unseal objects either from within something or someone, and a whole variety of purposes.**

**+2% WIS and INT**

I also bought a Senbon throwing manual for 9,000 Ryo since the Academy doesn't teach us that. Some additional books I bought are a Kunai and Shuriken throwing manuals for another 18,000 Ryo for additional tips and tricks the teachers might've missed.

Interestingly enough, I received an alert when three of my skills combined to make one new skill after all of them reached level 10 each.

**[Kunai Mastery], [Shuriken Mastery], and [Senbon Mastery] have all reached Level 10 and have combined altogether into a new skill called [Throwing Mastery]!**

**Throwing Mastery (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill that represents the user's skill using thrown weapons such as Kunai, Shuriken, and Senbon. ****Bonus damage inflicted, projectile velocity, and range depends on the user's STR stat, while accuracy penalties during unfavorable conditions is lessened depending on the DEX stat.**

**+30% DEX**

**+10% attack power and +1% accuracy with a throwing weapon.**

**+You can currently throw up to 2 projectiles simultaneously with the same accuracy as throwing one.**

Thankfully, the bonuses from those three skills were all added into the new skill. For a moment, I thought I would lose most of the passive bonuses the skills gave me.

The following morning after my three skills combined into one, I received a System Update detailing the changes made to the Skill List.

**Ding!**

**System Update!**

**Skills that are similar or related to each other will be reorganized and regrouped in the Skill List.**

The change made it easier to read and search for any skills that I currently know. So for example, if I want to find any skill relating to ninja tools that I currently know, I look into the section header of the Skill List that says **[Ninja Tool Masteries]**.

Other sections headers included** [Gamer Abilities]**, **[Magnet Release Abilities]**, **[Dead Bone Pulse Abilities]**, **[Medical Expertise]**, **[Ninja Academy Basic Jutsu]**, **[Ninja Academy Fundamentals]**, **[General Skills]**, **[Arts, Crafts, and Design]**, **[Chakra Control Exercises]**, and **[****Fūinjutsu**** Skills]**.

By the time the Spring Term exam a couple of weeks ago, I've gained **+3 STR**, **+9 VIT**, **+3 WIS**, **+6 INT**, **+7 DEX**, **+7 AGI**, and **+3 LUK**. Also another **+1 to all stats**, **+25 HP**, and **+25 CP** for my 6th birthday.

I was pretty satisfied with the exam results for my overall grade when they posted the scores. Out of the 30 students of my class, I was listed in 5th place out of 30 students.

The students who are ahead of me were Temari, Kankuro, Saya, and Sana. Some of the students felt their positions in the class hierarchy was threatened due to my intellect and reactions differed.

Because if an orphan with no familial or political connections beats a child from a shinobi family on the rankings list, then either the orphan is a genius or the rest are dumb. So why respect someone who's full of hot air if they can't back up their power?

In school earlier today, I've noticed my class has varying opinions and interacted differently around me than last year.

Both Temari and Saya started placing more emphasis in their studies so they'll remain at the top. Kankuro scoffed saying I got lucky and he'll put me in my place soon enough.

Half of the class called me a nerd, but I ignored them cause I couldn't give a shit about ignorant idiots. The other half of the class was neutral and didn't care.

The mean half of the class consisted of kids from shinobi backgrounds and tried to bully me during lunch. I ignored them and they tried to incite me by calling me a coward.

Funnily enough, I was paired with the bullies several times and gave each of them a beat down. Hey, it was a spar meaning I could legally beat the shit out of him and face no repercussions as long as I don't maim the kid.

Despite these kids having shinobi relatives, they make a lot of stupid exploitable attacks that I took advantage of. Their skill level is above a regular civilian, but not quite on Kankuro's level.

The other bullies seem to be angered and enraged by my constant victories over them. Guess some kids are too stupid to understand you don't use big swings constantly. You got to vary your offense or you'll just be predictable.

Sometimes, I'll celebrate by buying an additional pint of milk from the Emerald Valley sales stall. Due to my repeated patronage, I became acquaintances with the salesman whose name is Sato.

Because of Sato going from Neutral to Friendly, he'll sometimes answer my questions whenever I felt curious. Such as learning that the owner of Emerald Valley Farms is a businessman based in the Land of Fire.

The owner is seeking to expand his customer base by selling their products in the other hidden villages. Whenever Sato's dairy supplies run low, he'll send a messenger hawk to the owner requesting for the next batch of milk to come here.

I've also became a favored customer as I stop by to purchase at least 14 pints and a gallon every week. Apparently, people would rather spend their money on water or cheaper food ingredients.

Throughout the year, I've heard whispers, gossip, and rumors between the civilians and ninjas at the market district. They often gossip about a little boy with blood red hair who can control sand to defend himself without even lifting a finger.

He claims that he didn't mean to hurt anybody, but the uncontrollable sand did otherwise. Because of the possessed sand protecting the boy, several people have died by its hands including ninjas and civilians.

I already knew they were talking about Gaara, yet I can't find him whenever I walk outside. Either I'm searching in the wrong places or he's in a place I don't have access to.

But that's enough reminiscing of the major events of the past year, it's time for bed.

* * *

**April 11: Wednesday**

To ensure that I'm able to survive the wilderness survival exam portion, I pestered Katsuo to teach me how to cook. I would've learned the skill already on my own if not for the fact that Katsuo turned off the gas to the stove in my room.

Can't be having little kids experimenting or messing around with gas supposedly. Safety first.

After a week of persistently bothering him repeatedly, he finally relented after I convinced him with a sound argument. If I'm old enough to wield and throw a ninja kunai without cutting myself, then I'm old enough to use a kitchen knife.

Surprisingly I gained a new skill because I successfully persuaded Katsuo to do what I wanted.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to persuade others to do what you want.**

**Speech (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-The art of persuading or convincing others to do as you ask of them through various methods of conversation such as logic, emotional appeal, bribery, trash talking, and so on.**

**+1% WIS**

**+2% successful persuasion**

Dismissing the window alert, he then gave me a small knife and told me to cut up some vegetables into small pieces for today's dinner. After I sliced and diced the ingredients, I presented my work to him and he dumped them into a pot full of broth.

I asked if I could stir the pot and Katsuo allowed it. While stirring, I also asked for the recipe of what appears to be vegetable soup.

So he told me about vegetable broth, the ingredients, and how much time I needed to stir the boiling concoction.

**[Speech]'s level has risen by 1!**

**Ding!**

**You've learned how to make the recipe [Vegetable Soup]!**

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to combine and mix food ingredients together to make foods with various effects.**

**Cooking (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 50.00%**

**-A skill that turns a variety of cooking ingredients into a delectable consumables to look appetizing, smell great, and grant the consumer various effects upon consumption.**

**+1% WIS and DEX**

**+2% decreased chance of mistakes and +2% greater detail.**

Unfortunately, he denied my request of turning on the gas connection to my room. Eh, you can't get everything you ask for.

* * *

**April 12: Thursday**

It's a brand new day and Maki is testing us on the basic Academy Jutsu.

"Alright class, I'm going to test everyone on the **[Transformation Jutsu]**. When I call your name, step forward to the front of the classroom, face your classmates, and perform the Jutsu I ask for. I'll be calling out names randomly, so you better be prepared."

**Major Quest Alert!**

**The Prodigal Student**

**Successfully perform the Jutsu Maki asks you to do.**

**Quest Reward:** +50 EXP, increased relations with Maki, Nonota, and the class.

**Quest Failure:** +5 EXP, decreased relations with Maki and Nonota.

Well, this is going to be easy to pass since the teachers already taught us this a couple of months ago. But just to make sure my memory is correct, I'll check my notes.

The **[Transformation Jutsu]** is dog, boar, and ram.

"First up is Jyari! Please demonstrate the Transformation Jutsu to your classmates by transforming into me first. Then use the Jutsu again to appear as Nonota-sensei."

A generic kid with brown hair wearing a cloth hat walked up the front and demonstrated the required Jutsu.

"Dog, boar, ram, Clone Jutsu!"

Jyari then transformed into Maki and his appearance was decent. The clothes were off colored, but the kid will get there.

"Hmm, it's alright. You need to remember every detail of the person you're transforming into such as clothes, appearance, and etcetera. Next up is Genji!"

Focusing on the Jutsu, I inspected Maki's appearance and used the corresponding hand seals to activate the Jutsu. POOF!

The smoke cleared and I couldn't tell whether my appearance looked like hers or not without a mirror. Maki nodded and I used the Jutsu again to appear as Nonota.

She nodded in approval and said, "Excellent work Genji, you got nearly everything correctly. The only things I can see that you need to improve are the wrinkles on the transformed clothes to make it look more real."

"Thanks sensei!"

Returning back to my seat, I questioned why I haven't received my reward yet. Then I heard some of the older classmates behind me daring a fellow peer to mess with Maki. I didn't know who it was, but I found out later on.

The student transformed into a nearly perfect imitation of Maki-sensei, but with a few notable differences. The transformation was well endowed, wore a scandalous red party dress, and exposed a little cleavage.

Maki's left eyebrow was twitching and she had that anger tick mark on her forehead. She was smiling, but it also looked angry.

"Just for that, everyone will also be tested on the Clone Jutsu and the Substition Jutsu. Right here, right now."

"Awww man."

Most of the kids started whining about additional work and some gave the student responsible for this the stink eye. She then cycled through everyone and it was finally my turn to perform the two additional Jutsu.

"Alright Genji, please show us the Clone Jutsu. Then when you're done, use the Substitution Jutsu to switch places with this wooden chair."

In front of the class, I used the hand seals of Ram, Snake, and Tiger to use the [Clone Jutsu]. Smoke appeared and a exact replica of myself was standing to my right.

There's no need to show off by making more than one clone. That'll just create unnecessary attention.

"Good! Perform the Substitution Jutsu now.", said Maki interrupting my thoughts.

I positioned my hands to form the necessary hand seals and tried to remember the correct order.

Tiger, boar, ox, dog, and snake. . . Substition Jutsu!

Concentrating on the chair upon activating the Jutsu, I felt the transitional switcheroo.

"Excellent job Genji, you successfully used all three Jutsu. Please take a seat. Next up is Daimaru!"

WOW! I'm surprised I even remembered a Jutsu with a sequence of five hand seals. Must be because of my INT stat.

**Quest Complete!**

**You've gained 50 EXP!**

When the last student finished demonstrating the assigned Jutsu, Maki announced it was time for lunch. After I ate lunch, Maki announced we'll be learning some more katas.

Following her movements and correctly copying them, a new message popped up.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created through a special act and meeting the necessary requirements!**

**[Beginner Suna Taijutsu] LV: MAX has evolved into [Intermediate Suna Taijutsu]**

**Intermediate Suna Taijutsu (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A transitional level between beginner and advanced, this unarmed Taijutsu style uses more complex and difficult moves to prepare the user for the advanced level. Some of these new moves involve redirecting your opponent's strikes, evasive maneuvers, and etc.**

**+11% DEX and AGI using this style.**

Well, it's about damn time the skill evolved. I guess the skill requires me to be taught the forms in order for it to evolve.

Ridding the skill window from my view, I practiced the forms of the new katas I've been shown. The last class of the day was physical education before we were dismissed for the school day.

"Great job everyone, class is over."

For the rest of the day, I attended **[Puppetry 101]** and all we did was practice **[Paper-Sticking]** and **[Chakra Threads]**. Then I ate dinner, washed the plates, and went into the Zombie ID to grind my **[Intermediate Suna Taijutsu]**.

* * *

**April 13: Friday**

Nothing special or different happened in class today because it's basically a repeat of yesterday. Upon sitting down next to Temari in the **[Way of the Fan]** class, I noticed she's fidgeting a bit.

The only things that I can think of that can shake her up is family troubles. Unless it's the day of her mother's death, but I don't think it is.

"Hello Temari-san, you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Fine? Yeah right.

Kan came by and told us to do our usual exercises and katas. Temari mostly kept to herself and didn't bother correcting any mistakes I made if I there were any.

Parting with Temari, I ate dinner and washed some dishes before going back to my room to do some more hunting.

ID Create: Zombie ID.

Once inside, I withdrew my battle fan and exited the building. While walking towards the outskirts, I suddenly felt an ominous feeling when I approached an alley.

The closer I got to the source, the more the feeling intensified. Then the sudden skill creation sound scared the crap out of me and I retreated from the source.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to sense and avoid deadly encounters.**

**Sense Danger (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A natural survival instinct. Enables the user to sense incoming danger or killing intent towards themselves within a radius around them. This may include traps, enemies, suspicious settings, and etc.**

**+Current radius: 10 meters**

Should I go and investigate what kind of zombie monster is giving me that feeling or not to? No, the smart thing to do is to avoid it until I get stronger.

Rather than hunt some Zombie kids, I decided hunt only Zombie Parents using my fan. By 10:00 PM, I've killed 60 Zombie Kids and 30 Zombie Parents netting me a total of **450 EXP** and **9,000 Ryo**.

* * *

**April 17: Tuesday**

Today, I chose to go to the weapons shop during my lunch break at school and have my ninja tool weapons re-sharpened. I've used them so much throwing at the wooden target dummies and the zombies, that they've all become dull.

So dull that they don't stick when I throw them at wooden targets. Even when I throw them with enough force to make sure they stick.

Going to the weapons shop where I bought the weapons sets, I hear the 22 year old Tetsuya's voice.

"Welcome! How may I help you?"

"Hi, I need all my ninja tools to be re-sharpened. How much to re-sharpen my six weapon sets?"

"That'll be 1,440 Ryo total. If you're going to leave and pick them up later, please tell me your name to be associated with your order. It'll be done in 2 hours."

Paying the money upfront, I tell him "My name is Genji." Upon exiting the shop, I notice the hustle and bustle of the area has gone eerily quiet.

Looking around I see people staring and whispering about someone. In that direction, I saw a boy with blood red hair, no eyebrows, black raccoon like eyeliner, and holding a teddy bear.

It was Gaara and he didn't have that iconic red 'Love' tattoo above his left eye. Judging from his facial expressions, he's trying to remain optimistic despite seeing the villager's harsh looks, glares, and whispers.

He probably has some Jonin or ANBU watching his actions from a safe distance. Observe.

**Name:** Gaara

**Level:** 9

**Class:** Home Schooled Ninja Student

**HP:** 560

**CP:** 2,055

**A lonely young boy who desires a friend and a loving caring family before he developed his existentialism policy. He's currently living with his uncle Yashamaru and is trying his best to withstand his headaches and maintain control of his sand.**

While reading Gaara's information, I noticed I'm the only one standing in the street. Everybody else is watching Gaara through the nearby building's windows. Then he started to putting his hands on his head to lessen the pain.

**Ding!**

**Optional Mini-Boss Event Alert!**

**Tempting Death with Gaara**

**Sometimes, Gaara will lose control over his sand and will attack anyone who gets within five feet of him.**

**Test your current capabilities by confronting Gaara and survive for a duration of one minute, until he regains control over his sand.**

**Quest Rewards: **+50,000 EXP, +50 Fame, 100% chance of meeting the Kazekage.

**Quest Failure: **Possibly death or in other words, GAME OVER!

**[Yes] or [No]?**

Pause.

Let's use this time to think over this decision. To gain more power, the patron said to to reveal my **[Iron Sand Manipulation]** at the right time.

So is this that time though? I'll get to meet the Kazekage and if I play my cards right, he might train or tutor me in controlling the Magnet Release ability.

Let's do it. Maybe I can proclaim him as my rival like the rivalry between Gai and Kakashi? Best to save right here and now so if it doesn't go well, I can just go back to the save point and choose to not fight him.

Pause. Save Data. Overwrite Save File 3.

**Do you want to overwrite '1st Time in the Zombie ID' with 'Survive Gaara: 1st Meeting'?**

Yes.

**Save Data**

**Save File 1: 1st Day of Life Mid-Tutorial**

**Save File 2: 4th Birthday Celebration**

**Save File 3: Survive Gaara: 1st Meeting**

Resume.

With that done, I agreed to accept the quest and mentally commanded my defense ability to guard against any attacks originating from my blind spot. I also made it come off my body as I need all the speed I can get to dodge attacks.

Heading towards him, I hear the gasping noises of the nearby civilians. Everyone around became scared that they will witness the death of a child via possessed sand firsthand.

Due to my actions, I could hear the nervous chatter around me.

"Somebody save that kid, he's going to die!"

"After he dies, we're all going to die next!"

Seeing the inevitable confrontation, they all went into nearby buildings hiding their kids, hiding their wives, and locking the doors cuz he'll might murder anyone who gets in his way.

Stopping 5 feet away from him, I declared my intentions very loudly to the boy in front of me.

"Hi my name is Genji! What's your name?"

". . . . Gaara. GRAAH!"

Suddenly a large stream of sand sped towards me. Noticing the incoming attack, I jumped to my right to avoid it.

In the top right corner of my vision, I saw a timer ticking down telling me how much time I have to hold out for.

**1:00**

**0:59**

**0:58**

All I have to do is outlast his attacks for a minute. Maybe I can run down the clock by engaging in conversation?

"Hey wait a minute, I just want to talk! Why don't we just settle down and talk things out" I say to stall for time and avoiding another sand blast that broke a nearby box crate.

Seeing that my attempts to talk to him failed, I focused all my attention on dodging. With **0:50** left on the timer, the sand's attack pattern changed.

Avoiding another rushing sand attack, the possessed sand immediately jumped towards my new location. With this new change, the sand and I played cat and mouse for a few seconds.

While adjusting my feet to get ready to dodge again, **[Sense Danger]** alerted me of a second attack coming from my blind spot. This new change caught me off guard and **[AISD]** formed a small shield to protect me from harm.

Regular sand collided against a small wall of Iron Sand and black sand particles hovered in the air around me. Since my secret has been revealed, I decided to use **[Iron Sand Manipulation]** openly.

Unfortunately for me, something I didn't expect happened. The particle speed of the sand more than doubled as if reacting to my revealing of bloodline limit.

This speed increase made it nearly impossible to continue dodging and blocking. My AGI isn't high enough and Gaara's sand is outpacing my Iron Sand.

Eventually, the Jinchurikki's sand latched onto my right ankle and I felt immense pain a second later from the sand implosion.

**-493.4 HP!**

**You received the status effect (Fractured Ankle: -50% AGI).**

**You received the status effect (Grievous Wounds: -50 HP per 5 seconds).**

HUH?! How the heck can I have a fractured limb, if I'm a Kaguya? Was there something I missed when reading the description of the Kaguya clan's abilities?

Is it because I'm young and my skeletal system hasn't hardened enough?

With this new development, trying to dodge the speedy sand attacks is impossible with my low AGI.

It's official, I'm going to die. I should be panicking, screaming, freaking out, or something.

But all I'm feeling is calm acceptance. That attack alone just wiped out over half of my HP.

Checking the time again, I saw I had **0:25** remaining.

The sand buried me entirely and then I felt pain everywhere on my body.

**CRITICAL! -740.1 HP!**

As my HP reached 0, my vision gradually faded to black. Then it became completely dark and a bright blue screen appears with a common familiar phrase when you die in games.

**GAME OVER!**

**Choose save file to load:**

**Save File 1: 1st Day of Life Mid-Tutorial**

**Save File 2: 4th Birthday Celebration**

**Save File 3: Survive Gaara: 1st Meeting**

It's a good thing this current gamer system gives me unlimited lives. Reflecting on what happened, I definitely went into this battle unprepared.

I thought it'd be a simple cakewalk of avoiding attacks for one minute with my current skills and stat levels, but it's not good enough. The quest seems to be a fool's errand making it seem like I can win.

Hmm. Let's review the key events that occurred and come up with some possible solutions to succeed this quest.

**1)** The sand's speed became faster when my Iron Sand skills was revealed. This means I have to survive the entire fight without using these skills.

**2)** Due to this increased speed, my low AGI caused me to lose. Maybe I should spend some of the 60 unspent points to boost my AGI or LUK stats?

**3)** If the sand latches onto my ankles and implodes, my AGI will be halved.

**4)** If I can't avoid the sand, then I should use all the available skills I have at my disposal to endure. Skills like **[Chakra Reinforcement]** to raise my AGI and **[Dead Bone Pulse]** to raise my DEF.

**5)** The attack power of the sand is quite high. A critical hit could've killed me in one shot if it wasn't thanks to some of my Defense.

**6)** Refuse the optional quest and challenge Gaara after graduating from the Ninja Academy.

Hmm, this event reminds me of those bosses you encounter very early on in games who are hard or nearly impossible to win against. I'll have to see if my idea of spending points to boost my stats will make a noticeable difference.

After I exhaust all possible solutions and they don't work, I'll reload Save File 3 and refuse the quest. Selecting and reloading the 3rd Save File, I find myself back where I saved staring at the **[Tempting Death with Gaara]** quest.

Accepting the quest, I accessed the Character Status screen and looked at my stats. Pressing the up arrow next to AGI, I dumped all my unspent points into the stat and pressed the 'Spend' button.

**Are you sure you want to spend the following points?**

**+60 AGI**

**Current AGI: 44.55 **→ **99.6  
**

Yes. Confirming my decision, I confronted Gaara with my newfound AGI.

The end result? I died again with 10 seconds left on the clock.

During the opening moments of the battle, I had to get used to my new agility. Instead of hopping a few feet away from the sand, I jumped further than I intended.

Despite the massive speed boost, Gaara's sand will still speed up whether I show him my Iron Sand capabilities or not. It's like its scripted to happen no matter what.

Instead of boring report of each of my failed attempts, I'll just give a short summary of what happened after my 3rd retry.

**2nd Retry:** Spent all points in LUK and still died at 0:25.

**3rd Retry:** Spent 45 points in AGI and 15 in LUK. Died with 0:20 remaining.

My conclusion? LUK needs to be above 100 to at least affect battles in my favor.

**4th Retry:** Used **[Iron Sand Manipulation]** from the get go. Resulted with my early death at 0:35.

Repeating this process multiple times, I tried investing in all the other stats and reviewed the description of every skill that I currently had in case if I was missing something. With each retry, I performed a different experiment to see if it'll give me an edge or not.

**20th Retry:** Tested out **[Dead Bone Pulse]** against Gaara by hardening the bones under my skin before the sand implodes on me.

While painful to endure, I didn't receive the status effect **[Fractured Ankle]**. It slightly reduced the damage as well because it wasn't a critical hit due to the bone's increased defensive properties.

Also tried using **[Chakra Reinforcement]** on my legs to increase my AGI, which consumes 50 CP per infusion. Doing this helped me survive a little longer than not using it. With these two experiments being successful, I decided to implement both on my next attempt from now on.

**21st Retry:** Used **[Dead Bone Pulse]** again to form a bone armor underneath my skin along with hardening my limb bone.

**25th Retry:** Spent all 60 points in LUK again.

**26th Retry:** Spent all 60 points in AGI and tried running away from Gaara. This action made automatically failed the quest.

From that point on, I sometimes think I'm a masochist if I'm willing to personally experience death repeatedly just to win a single quest that isn't really that important. The large amount of EXP is nice, but this quest event isn't worth the effort right now.

After dying for the umpteenth time with a personal best of 0:09, I decided the quest wasn't worth it even if I did succeed. Yeah I lost count after my 50th death or was it 60?

In conclusion, it's too damn early for me to engage Gaara in a fight. I'll hold off until my AGI and other stats are well above 100 or maybe 200.

Staring at the Game Over screen once again, I chose the 3rd Save File and refused the quest. Remembering the current time, lunch will be over in ten minutes.

Making my way back to school, I went through a side street to avoid Gaara. Along the way, I passed by an outdoor café that had several tables outside full of disgruntled shinobi.

I could tell mainly because of the information hovering above their head, but also because of their loud complaints. Some complained about the current state of affairs, a few about their pasts, and others are passing the time by playing a game of poker.

"Damn this leg injury, I regret taking the hit for my teammate just to fulfill the mission objective. If I didn't get this injury, I'd still be serving in the force instead of being a shopkeeper."

"Hey, you cheated right there. It's nearly impossible to get a royal straight flush!"

"So? We're ninja, not those honor bound Samurai. Ninja cheat to get whatever advantage they can get. Unless you tell everyone the exact method of how I cheated, then you can't prove it. Besides, I could've gotten that result naturally."

"Man, I wish I could go back in time and start on my Chakra control training earlier in life. Those guys born in clan families have an advantage over others due to how early they learn things such as Chakra Control, compared to us orphans and regular peons."

Chakra Control at an early age? Hearing what the drunk ninja who could afford to pay for a luxury item like alcohol, I chose to eavesdrop nearby to see if the people will spill some useful information.

"It's just a fantasy to go back in time. But if I could, I would've started my chakra control training before I was five years old."

?!

!

One can start training before five years old? I'll have to investigate how early is it possible to train safely with Chakra. The book at the library mentioned stunting your chakra coils, if one practices too early in life.

But the books never mentioned a specific age. Could I start Chakra control training right after I'm born or as soon as when I can form the Ram hand seal with my hands?

I need to know what the answer is so I can get a head start. Because hearing what these background losers said made me realize I could technically go back in time to an earlier save file.

Sure I'm Save Scumming, but I don't really care. I did the same tactic on all the other video games, when I didn't get the desired results I wanted. But before I reload to an earlier file, I need answers to some important questions first.

"I too wish I could go back in time and take my training seriously. I was highly ignorant of the ninja world and thought book smarts would get you places. I had to learn the hard way that book smarts do zilch in a combat scenario against an opponent that is way stronger than you. It did make me a great tactician, but it also made me the weak link on my team."

Checking the time again, I had 5 minutes to haul ass back to school. Making to class in time, I half paid attention to Maki's lecture and thought who could possible answer my questions.

Depending on their answers will determine whether I choose Save File 1 or 2. As soon as school ended, I stayed behind to ask Maki my question.

"Maki-sensei, what's the earliest age a person can safely start chakra control exercises?"

"I'm sorry Genji, but I don't know the answer. I remember starting my chakra control exercises, when I turned 4 years old."

WHAT! That's a one year head start! Damn my unnecessary fear of stunting my growth from reading multiple Fanfictions and that library book titled **[The Chakra Coil Network in the Human Body]**.

But wait, she said four years old. I know for sure she's not from a clan, so why did she start early?

"How come you learned at 4 years old, while we learn at 5?"

"Back then, Suna was recovering from the results of the 3rd Shinobi War and remained in a heightened state of alert in case of the other villages launching a sneak attack. Only after several years of peace did the curriculum change back to peace time education."

"However, there is a person who can answer your question and that is Saki-sensei. She's a certified medic and very knowledgeable in the medical field. You probably don't know this, but she's the school nurse and teaches the elective Medical Program in Room 102."

"Thanks for the information, bye!"

Guess I'll wait ask Saki immediately after **[Puppetry 101]** ends. While waiting for the teacher to come by, I remembered Saya is technically from a clan. So I can confirm with her whether those washed up has been shinobi were telling the truth.

"Greetings everyone! For today's agenda, we will be learning about Sand-Sticking. This Chakra control exercise is a more advanced version of Paper-Sticking."

"With a pile of sand in front of you, place your palm onto the sand, lift your palm upwards, and try to use your Chakra to prevent as many grains from falling. This will help refine your control and make it more easier to perform Chakra Threads.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to stick sand to your body and or surface.**

**Sand-Sticking (Passive/Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-An advanced Chakra control exercise that requires the user to focus on making the tiny grains of sand particles to stick to their body or to a surface via Chakra.**

**+CP Cost: 100 CP per minute**

**+1% INT**

After practicing **[Sand-Sticking]** for a bit, Kon told us to practice our Chakra Threads. Now's the perfect time to ask her about the early training.

"So 'Lady' Saya, how early did you start training to be able use Chakra Threads? Only a talented person like you could achieve this kind of feat at your age."

"Of course I'm talented", said Saya as she haughtily stuck her nose upwards a bit.

"I started training under my parent's tutelage six months after my 3rd birthday. It helps if one practices paper-sticking while moving your entire body through a kata. Not to mention Sand-Sticking, Rock-Climbing, and Sand-Walking."

"Oh, Sand-Sticking is the more advanced version of Paper-Sticking.

"Thank you 'Lady' Saya for your most informative advice for a commoner like me." So three and half years is the earliest one can start training Chakra? But I need confirmation from a medical expert before I even attempt what I'm planning to do.

For the rest of the class, I practiced **[Chakra Threads]** and increased its skill level by one. When class was dismissed, I rushed out and headed towards Room 102 to find her about to leave.

"Saki-sensei!"

"Is there something you need?", questioned Saki.

"Maki-sensei said it was best to ask you my question about the human body."

"Sure, I'm listening."

"So in the book titled **[The Chakra Coil Network in the Human Body]**, it said that training the body too early will damage and stunt a person's growth. But the book never mentioned how early. So my question is what's the earliest age a person's body can handle training in chakra control exercises?"

"Well, the answer to your question is the age of three and a half. Doing it any earlier than that will stunt your growth and inhibit one's potential."

"Thank you for answering my question Saki-sensei! See you next time!"

What the hell? No wonder that description of me back then said that I was 'Pathetically weak and under levelled compared to canon characters'.

Guess I'll have to choose Save File 1 then to start my chakra training six months after turning three years old.

Pause. Save Data. Load Save File 1.

After saying that, the world frozen in time around me instantly disappeared and I blacked out. It was then I realized something terrible after waking up as an infant again.

I'd have to re-experience being a baby and there's not a freaking thing I can do to speed up the aging process.

DAMNIT!

* * *

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya - **Class:** The Gamer - **Age:** 6

**Titles:**

**[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% proficiency learning Academy subjects and skills.)

**[Bookworm]** (+2 INT and WIS for every 50 books read from start to finish and +30% relations with the Sunagakure Library staff. Books read: 20)

**[Aspiring Fanboy]** (+15% proficiency learning Suna's fan arts.)

**[Aspiring Puppeteer]** (15% proficiency learning Suna's puppet arts.)

**Status:** Normal, +14% Evasion, and +6.6 DEF

**Level:** 12 - **EXP:** 23,419/35,000

**HP:** 780.8 - **HP Regen:** 29.04 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 802.48/1604.95 - **CP Regen:** 3.84 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 14 + (14 X .45) = 20.3

**VIT:** 24 + (24 X 1.42) = 58.08

**PE:** 78.38

**WIS:** 16 + (Meditation 14) + (30 X .28) = 38.4

**INT:** 25 + (Meditation 14) + (39 X .39) = 54.21

**SE:** 92.61

**DEX:** 17 + (Ambidextrous 15.5) + (32.5 X .79) = 58.18

**AGI:** 21 + (Sandals 2) + (23 X .71) = 39.33

**LUK:** 10

**Fame/Infamy:** 10/0

**Unspent points:** 60

**Money:** 72,061 Ryo + (12,000 Stipend) + (2,066,250 Zombie Hunting) + (9,000 Ryo) - (288,400 Milk) - (54,850 Books/Manuals) - (6,000 Writing Supplies) - (1,440 weapon re-sharpening) = 1,808,621 Ryo

**Kaguya Genji is a paranoid reincarnated young man who desires money and power to guarantee his wishes such as his survival past the 4th Shinobi War and his mother's wellbeing.**

**He feels indebted to his mother Miya because she didn't throw him away after birth and tried her best to take care of him.**

**Currently at his age, he's weak compared to Canon characters like Itachi and Kakashi. With the right training and ideas, he might be able to surpass them all.**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**The original draft of this chapter involved Genji discovering the burnt remains of Icha Icha Paradise in the trashcan and that it was the only copy in Sunagakure.**

* * *

**SKILL LIST**

***Genji's current skills before he decided to reload the game.***

**Gamer Abilities**

**Anything related to skills found in [The Gamer] Manhwa or rewarded for reaching certain milestones.**

**Some skills could be placed here, but fit better in other categories.**

**Gamer's Mind (Passive) Level: MAX**

+Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Enables a calm and peaceful sense of mind and immunity to psychological status effects.

+Provides an impenetrable mental shield against memory modification and blocks foreign entities like the Yamanaka Clan or Genjutsu users from viewing the memories of your previous life, current memories, and Gamer abilities.

**Gamer's Body (Passive) Level: MAX**

+Grants a body that allows the user to live the real world like a game.

+Sleeping fully recovers your HP, CP, and removes all negative status debuffs afflicting you.

**Observe (Passive/Active) Level: 49 EXP: 75.00%**

-Enables **[The Gamer]** to see and read detailed information of an object, person, living being, and etc he's looking at. The higher the level, the more information about your target is revealed.

+CP Cost: 0

Level 25 Bonus: You can now see the information of people's names, level, and special characteristic above their head. This feature can be disabled if its too distracting or enabled by mentally willing it.

**ID Create (Active) Level: 3 EXP: 95.00%**

-Currently available ID List:

0\. Empty ID - Monsters: none

1\. Zombie ID - Monsters: Zombies, Zombie Civilians, Zombie Bandits, Zombie Ninjas

2\. Ghost ID - Monsters: Ghosts, Ghost Onmyouji, Ghost Grudge, Genjutsu Ghost

**ID Escape (Active) Level: 3 EXP: 95.00%**

-Used to escape instant dungeons.

+Escape chance depends on the type of dungeon.

**Power Strike (Active) Level: 8 EXP: 0.00%**

-Strike your target with a strong force of power.

+Flat CP Cost: 50 per strike.

+55% critical damage

+90% attack damage

**Physical Endurance (Passive) Level: 12 EXP: 90.00%**

-A skill that reduces damage from physical hits and allows the user to withstand hardship.

+12% decreased damage from physical attacks.

**Sense Danger (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 50.00%**

-A natural survival instinct. Enables the user to sense incoming danger or killing intent towards themselves within a radius around them. This may include traps, enemies, suspicious settings, and etc.

+Current radius: 10 meters

* * *

**Magnet Release Abilities**

**Any skills related to the Magnet Release Bloodline Limit.**

**Automatic Iron Sand Defense (Passive) Level 17 EXP: 85.00%**

-Whenever you feel you're in danger, this ability will summon nearby Iron Sand automatically from the environment to protect its master from physical harm as it has a will of its own.

+The black sand can be given a spoken or mental command to follow a specific order.

+Half of your total CP is used to soak the Iron Sand particles with your Chakra, the amount of sand that can be freely manipulated scales with your total CP, that same amount is also carried on or near your person, and the skill cannot be deactivated.

+170% attack damage and +51% particle speed.

**Iron Sand Manipulation (Active) Level: 9 EXP: 80.00%**

-Allows the user to summon additional Iron Sand from the environment and manipulate to crush opponents or mold into various shapes and weapons for a variety of purposes.

+CP Cost: 200 per minute.

+45% attack damage and +13.5% particle speed.

* * *

**Dead Bone Pulse Abilities**

**Any skill related to those whose ancestors are of the Kaguya clan and have the [Dead Bone Pulse] ability.**

**Dead Bone Pulse (Passive/Active) Level: 13 EXP 50.00%**

-A bloodline limit that's highly regarded as the ultimate Taijutsu ability. This ability allows the user to manipulate their own skeletal structure and infuse calcium with Chakra to manipulate the growth and properties of their bones to their liking.

-Grants the user a unique skeletal structure and a high regeneration rate as any bone removed from the body immediately regenerates as does the skin that's damaged. Bones can protrude from any part of the body, be pulled out, or create a dense bone armor underneath their skin.

+Cost: ? HP and ? CP

+HP Regeneration Rate is now .5 instead of .05

+13% STR, +65% VIT, and +39% DEF

+65% attack damage and +65% attack speed

**IMPORTANT:** Cannot activate the ability if your current HP is below the HP cost.

* * *

**Medical Expertise**

**-Anything related to the medicinal field. **

**Basic First Aid (Passive) Level: 5 EXP: 55.00%**

-Allows the user to use basic first aid skills to heal and cure common injuries. A very important skill needed to survive on the battlefield, prolong your life and others to fight another day, and is the first step towards becoming a medical ninja.

+5% removing negative status debuffs

**Herbalism (Passive) Level: 3 EXP: 25.00% **

-Allows the user to find and harvest reagents properly without damaging them and extract medicinal components from them. Reagents will emit a slight shimmering twinkle and can be turned off if it's distracting to the user.

+3% INT

+3% chance of finding reagents in the environment, harvesting without damaging them, and successfully extract ingredient components.

**Human Anatomy and Physiology (Passive) Level: 2 EXP: 20.00% **

-Grants the user detailed knowledge of the inner workings of the human body when its healthy including organs, main tenketsu points, how each body part works, and other things.

+2% WIS and INT

+2% accurately diagnosing injuries, diseases, common ailments, and applying proper treatment with precision and efficiency.

* * *

**Ninja Academy Basic Jutsu**

**All skills comprising of basic Jutsu that ALL ninja should know.**

**ALL Jutsu in this particular section have an initial flat cost of 50 CP to activate.**

**Transformation Jutsu** **(Active)** **Level: 21 EXP: 60.00%**

-Allows the user to transform and disguise themselves into objects, people, animals, and other things by the power of their imagination.

+You'll take on the properties of whatever you transform into and it'll cost an additional 10 CP per 5 seconds to keep the transformation on.

**Hand Seals:** Dog → Boar → Ram

**Clone Jutsu (Active)** **Level: 24 EXP: 85.00%**

-Allows the user to create an illusionary clone that can't interact with its environment.

+50 CP per additional clone.

**Hand Seals:** Ram → Snake → Tiger

**Substitution Jutsu (Active)** **Level: 18 EXP: 95.00%**

-Allows the user to avoid harm by substituting themselves with nearby objects, people, and other things.

-You can ONLY substitute with things in your line of sight or vision.

**Hand Seals:** Tiger → Boar → Ox → Dog → Snake

**Rope Escape Technique (Active) ****Level: 6 EXP: 0.00% **

-A supplemental Jutsu that enables the user to escape when they're bound or restrained by ropes and is basically a 'Get out of jail free' card.

+6% successful escape

* * *

**Ninja Academy Fundamentals**

**Skills and techniques that are fundamental to being a ninja. **

**Flexibility (Passive) Level: 28 EXP: 0.00%**

-Allows the human body to become more flexible.

+14% Evasion.

**Balance (Passive) Level: 30 EXP: 0.00%**

-Allows the body and mind to maintain a sense of balance when standing, moving, or sitting still.

+30% decreased chances of slipping or falling over when traversing, standing, or sitting on uneven or unstable objects or terrain.

**Meditation (Passive/Active) Level: 28 EXP: 0.00%**

-A skill where the user enters a state of inner peace, remain completely still, and able to ignore sounds. The user becomes rooted in place, while meditating.

-Moving or taking damage by something will interrupt the meditation.

+14 INT and WIS

Active Effect: +28% increase in CP Regeneration, while meditating.

**Intermediate Suna Taijutsu (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

-A transitional level between beginner and advanced, this unarmed Taijutsu style uses more complex and difficult moves to prepare the user for the advanced level. Some of these new moves involve redirecting your opponent's strikes, evasive maneuvers, and etc.

+11% DEX and AGI using this style.

**Taijutsu Mastery (Passive) Level: 10 EXP: 30.00%**

-A skill that's basically hand-to-hand combat and anything involving the martial arts or optimization of natural human abilities. It doesn't require any Chakra, but it can be used to enhance techniques.

+5% STR, VIT, DEX, and AGI.

+100% attack damage and +50% attack speed.

+10% decreased damage when blocking enemy attacks

**Deception (Passive) Level: 3 EXP: 0.00%**

-Enables the user to make up believable lies and fool their enemies.

+3% chance of people believing your lies or being fooled by your deceptive tricks.

**Thievery (Active) Level: 3 EXP: 0.00%**

-Allows the user to steal items without getting caught and leaving no trace behind.

+3% steal success.

**Trapping (Active) Level: 8 EXP: 60.00% **

-Enables the user to set up lethal or nonlethal traps to capture, surprise, or damage their intended target(s). These traps can affect enemies and allies alike.

+8% trap damage and trap concealment.

**Stealth (Active) Level: 10 EXP: 00.00%**

-A skill that allows the user to move without making sound, mask their presence, and remain undetected from enemies and allies alike.

+Reduces movement speed by 85% while active.

+50% stealth

**Camouflage (Passive) Level: 5 EXP: 60.00%**

-A skill that enables the user to blend with their surroundings via paint, clothes, and other means to conceal their presence from being detected by enemies and allies alike.

+25% concealment and stealth

**Detect and Dispel Genjutsu**** (Passive/Active) Level: 4 EXP: 64.00%**

-Allows the user to detect when a Genjutsu has been applied onto them and dispel the opponent's illusion by flaring their chakra.

+CP Cost: 100 CP per attempt

+4% Genjutsu detection and +4% dispel success upon saying or thinking the command word "KAI!"

* * *

**Ninja Tool Masteries**

**Skills that comprise of tools and weapons a ninja uses to assist them in combat and other situations.**

**Throwing Mastery (Passive) Level: 6 EXP: 0.00%**

-A skill that represents the user's skill using thrown weapons such as Kunai, Shuriken, and Senbon. Bonus damage inflicted, projectile velocity, and range depends on the user's STR stat, while accuracy penalties during unfavorable conditions is lessened depending on the DEX stat.

+30% DEX

+60% attack power and +6% accuracy with a throwing weapon.

+You can currently throw up to 3 projectiles simultaneously with the same accuracy as throwing one.

**Fan Mastery (Passive) Level: 15 EXP 0.00%**

-A skill that allows the user to wield a fan and perform various fan-based combat techniques, katas, and movements effectively and efficiently. It's also known as Tessenjutsu and the bonus effects only apply when wielding a fan or fan-like weapon.

+150% attack power and +75% attack speed

+15% decreased damage when blocking enemy attacks

**Sword Mastery (Passive) Level: 9 EXP: 0.00%**

-A skill that enables the user to wield a sword and perform various sword-based combat techniques, katas, and movements effectively and efficiently. It's also known as Kenjutsu and the bonus effects only apply when wielding a sword or sword-like weapon.

+90% attack power and +45% attack speed.

+9% decreased damage when blocking enemy attacks.

* * *

**General Skills**

**Everyday skills that don't fit in any other category.**

**Reading (Passive) Level: 41 EXP: 0.00%**

-A skill allowing the user to read faster and quickly comprehend and understand a book's contents.

+25% WIS

+82% reading speed and comprehension.

**Ambidextrous (Passive) Level: 31 EXP: 80.00%**

-You are able to wield items and perform actions naturally with either hand.

+15.5 DEX

**Running (Passive) Level: 40 EXP: 99.99%**

-A skill representing how fast and far you can run, while using less stamina.

+25% VIT and AGI.

+80% increased movement speed and decreased stamina used when running.

***Cannot increase levels in this skill until you become 7 years old.***

**Jumping (Passive) Level: 35 EXP: 80.00%**

-A skill representing how high and far you can jump, while using less stamina.

+25% VIT and AGI

+70% increased jumping distance and decreased stamina used for each jump.

**Laundry (Passive/Active) Level: 19 EXP: 60.00%**

-Allows the user to wash clothes and remove stains efficiently, while the (Active) ability allows you to power wash those tough stains away.

+10% STR, VIT, and DEX

+95% increase in laundry speed

Active Effect: Power Wash - Doubles your current laundry speed for a flat cost of 25 CP per minute.

***Washing a fabric longer than needed will reduce its durability by 2%***

**Dish Washing (Passive/Active) Level: 36 EXP: 50.00%**

-Allows the user to wash dishes and remove burnt baked on food efficiently, while the (Active) ability enables you to power wash away those tough to remove food.

+10% STR, VIT, and DEX

+180% increase in dish washing speed

Active Effect: Power Wash - Doubles your current dish washing speed for a flat cost of 25 CP per minute.

**Speech (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 10.00%**

-The art of persuading or convincing others to do as you ask of them through various methods of conversation such as logic, emotional appeal, bribery, trash talking, and so on.

+1% WIS

+2% successful persuasion

* * *

**Arts, Crafts, and Design**

**Anything related to the process of turning crafting materials into equipment, consumables, objects, items, and etc.**

**Cooking (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 50.00%**

-A skill that turns a variety of cooking ingredients into a delectable consumables to look appetizing, smell great, and grant the consumer various effects upon consumption.

+1% WIS and DEX

+2% decreased chance of mistakes and +2% greater detail.

**Blacksmithing (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

-Allows the user to forge things such as armor, weapons, and other stuff into whatever the user's mind can think of as long as he's got patience and perseverance to work with the materials at hand.

+1% STR, VIT, and DEX.

+2% decreased chance of mistakes and +2% greater detail.

**Woodworking (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

-Allows the user to work items from wood into whatever the user's mind can imagine by wood carving, carpentry, and etc.

+1% STR, VIT, and DEX.

+2% decreased chance of mistakes and +2% greater detail.

* * *

**Chakra Control Exercises**

**Any skills related to Chakra control exercises and techniques.**

**Chakra Control Mastery (Passive) Level: 10 EXP 60.00%**

-A skill that allows you to control, mold, manipulate, and expel the Chakra within your body at a steady or varying rate for a variety of purposes.

+5% decrease of wasted Chakra on all Jutsu that don't have a flat cost.

+500 Bonus CP

**Paper-Sticking (Passive/Active) Level: 70 EXP: 90.00%**

-Suna's version of the Leaf Concentration Practice they stole from Konoha.

+CP Cost: (10 X # of papers attached to the body) = # per minute

+10% INT

**Sand-Sticking (Passive/Active) Level: 1 EXP: 50.00%**

-An advanced Chakra control exercise that requires the user to focus on making the tiny grains of sand particles to stick to their body or to a surface via Chakra.

+CP Cost: 100 CP per minute

+1% INT

**Chakra Reinforcement (Passive/Active) Level: 5 EXP: 69.50%**

-Everyone in this world has Chakra and it strengthens their body's muscles. The active effect allows one to infuse additional Chakra in the body's muscle to temporarily improve performance.

+5% STR and AGI

+CP Cost: 50 CP per infusion

Active Effect: +5% additional STR and AGI for 10 seconds

**Chakra Threads (Passive/Active) Level: 7 EXP: 70.00%**

-A versatile skill that enables the user to form strings made of concentrated Chakra to manipulate whatever is attached to them. This skill is a necessity in learning and using the **[Puppet Technique]**.

+CP Cost: (30 X # of threads) = # per minute

+7% INT

+Thread Length Limit: 7 Meters

**Rock-Climbing (Passive) Level: 5 EXP: 30.80%**

-A skill enabling the user to climb, walk, stand, or run up vertically inclined rocky surfaces by expelling chakra at a controlled steady rate.

+CP Cost: 100 per minute

+5% INT

**Sand Walking (Passive) Level: 4 EXP: 10.50%**

-A skill enabling the user to walk, run, or stand on sand without sinking or leaving footprints behind by expelling chakra at a varied but controlled rate.

+CP Cost: 100 per minute

+4% INT

* * *

**Fūinjutsu**** Skills**

**Skills and techniques related to ****Fūinjutsu****, the art of sealing.**

**Fūinjutsu**** (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 5.00%**

-A skill that allows the user to seal objects, living beings, chakra, and a wide variety of other things within another object. It can also be used to restrict movement, unseal objects either from within something or someone, and a whole variety of purposes.

+2% WIS and INT

**Calligraphy (Passive) Level: 11 EXP: 10.00%**

-The visual art of writing by the skillful designing and swift execution of lettering with a writing instrument.

+10% DEX

+22% writing speed and +22% decreased chance of errors during the inking process.


	9. Foreknowledge Helps Win Battles

**Disclaimer:** **Familiar characters and references you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Foreknowledge Helps Win Battles**

During the introductory tutorial, there was one thing I was worried about after reloading to an earlier save file. Like for example, do I still get the +1 WIS bonus if I already know the lady holding me is my mother and from the Kaguya clan?

Upon completing the tutorial, I tried to remember what the clan traits of the Kaguya are and why my mother is descended from them. To my relief, I received a notification from the system and gained **+1 WIS**.

Nothing much different happened, while living with my mother. It was mostly just suffering and enduring several dreadful ordeals like teething, uncontrollable bladder, tasteless baby formula, itching bedsheets, grinding **[Observe] **on everything I see, and plotting several training methods for defeating Kankuro in a Taijutsu spar.

The same applied when growing up at the orphanage, but I did things differently starting on my 3rd birthday. This time, I played with the other kids in their games instead of isolating myself.

Simple games like Go Fish, guess the coin toss, and rock-paper-scissors all for the purpose of raising my luck. It was the only stat I could raise at the time, since Eri would never allow me to walk to the library all by myself.

Now that I was old enough to play in the playground, I relearned my **[Running]**, **[Jumping]**, **[Flexibility]**, and **[Balance]** skills. **[Meditation]** was still a work in progress as I keep falling asleep instead of entering a meditative trance.

By the time I turned 3.5 years old, I earned a total of **+5 LUCK** so far from playing with my fellow orphans. I didn't make any friends, but they were mostly friendly acquaintances.

Since today's the day Saya and nurse Saki mentioned is the earliest I can start practicing Chakra, I saved my game immediately.

Pause. Save Data. Overwrite Save File 2.

**Do you want to overwrite '4th Birthday Celebration' with 'Becoming 3.5 Years Old'?**

Yes.

**Save Data**

**Save File 1: 1st Day of Life Mid-Tutorial**

**Save File 2: Becoming 3.5 Years Old**

**Save File 3: Survive Gaara: 1st Meeting**

Resume.

Hopefully, I don't have to reload to Save File 1 again. If I find out for some reason I can start practicing Chakra Control exercises right after birth as an infant, I'd say to hell with it. Unless I become very desperate to win or get an edge on a future big bad. Not to mention some of my memories of future events are slipping away due to re-experiencing an infant's life twice.

Remembering when I left the orphanage, I tried to think of a solution to avoid Eri's watchful eyes. Hmm, how can I unlock my Chakra in total privacy without Eri peeping or anybody watching?

AH! The bathroom.

Entering the bathroom and locking the door, I started working on regaining my Chakra based skills. The system gave me another **+1 WIS** for thinking of the consequences of my actions in public sight and I dismissed the window.

After a couple of minutes of concentration, I finally regained my **[Chakra Control Mastery]** and **[Dead Bone Pulse]**. Frankly, I'm surprised I even remembered Nonota's instructions.

During the next visit at the library, I searched for a book about Suna's history so I can get the requirement of knowing what my father is famous for out of the way. Upon reading the detailed passage about the Sandaime Kazekage, Sobek, and comparing his features to mine, I received access to **[Iron Sand Manipulation] **and **+1 WIS**.

Soon, Eri came by and asked why I was looking at a book about Suna's history. I understood her implied question which is "Why am I reading a book that's clearly above my grade level?"

So I said, "I'm looking for pictures." Eri accepted my response, since all the other kids were doing the same thing I was doing. What I didn't expect was receiving an alert about learning the skill **[Deception]** this early.

While I couldn't practice Chakra control exercises publicly, I used skills either under cover of some other task I'm doing or wouldn't be noticed even if I activated them. Every night, I trained **[Paper-Sticking]** underneath my bedsheet covers before attempting to relearn **[Meditation]**.

Playing outside by running around the playground's perimeter or playing tag is a cover-up to increase VIT, AGI, **[Running]**, and **[Chakra Reinforcement]**. Another method is changing the density of my bones in various places like my fingers, hands, and etcetera to level up **[Dead Bone Pulse]**.

So whenever my HP and CP reserves recovered, I expended it using one of the two methods to level up my bloodline limit. Though it was very risky due to the fact I had to constantly monitor my HP and CP reserves to make sure I don't overdo it. It'd be a pain in the ass to explain to the caretakers how the heck I became Chakra exhausted.

Unfortunately for me, it still took the same amount of time to get **[Meditation]** which I got the skill back the day before my 4th birthday. But I'd say that's good enough for someone who doesn't have access to Shadow Clones to gain skills faster.

Sometimes, Eri would take us to the park that had a playground and told us to play with the other kids at the other orphanages. Each time we went, I tried to locate any plot important characters.

But after several visits to the park, I haven't met anybody important at all. Either Sunagakure has more than one public park, the characters don't go to parks to play at all, or my LUK simply isn't high enough.

When it became time for the recently turned 4 year olds to be shipped off to Katsuo's dorm, Eri approached me to say goodbye and impart some advice. That's when she said something I'm quite sure she didn't say last time.

"Genji, everyone here is going to miss you. I know for sure you'll become an exceptional shinobi when you grow up. Out of all the orphans I've taken care of, you've shown the most desire to learn about the world around you.

"But I just want to let you know that you don't have to grow up so fast because you're still a child. So enjoy life more Genji. You're welcome to come back and visit anytime you feel lonely. Goodbye my little genius who will become the strongest ninja of Suna."

Huh?! How does she know one of my goals? I know for sure I never mentioned anything out loud for her to figure out, so how? This mysterious issue needs to be resolved in the future cause I can't afford to be giving out my secrets.

Following my arrival at Katsuo's dorm complex, I repeated the same actions last time around but with a few minor differences. I bought several six-sided die to raise my LUK, along with shopping list of toiletries and other items totaling 550 Ryo.

At the thrift shop, I bought several sets of clothes like shirts, cargo shorts, and underwear. I also picked up some cloaks, shemagh scarfs in different colors, and sandstorm goggles which totaled up to **980 Ryo**.

**Child Sized Black Cloak - Rank: Poor**

**-A regular cloak meant to cover and protect the entire body below the neck from the sun and elements. The sleeves on this cloak are a bit long.**

**+.5 DEF**

**Purple Shemagh Scarf - Rank: Average**

**-A square piece of cotton cloth meant to protect the wearer from sunburn, dust, and sand. The type of protection depends on how the wearer wraps it on their head and neck.**

**+.5 DEF**

**Sandstorm Goggles - Rank: Average**

**-Protective eyewear that guards the wearer's eyes if they're ever encounter or trapped in a raging sandstorm. The tint on these goggles are orange.**

**+1 DEF**

Now why would I buy several poor rank cloaks when the store offered better quality versions? It's because of the defect mentioned in the description.

All for the purpose of practicing **[Paper-Sticking]** wherever on my body in public without getting caught. Such as during Aki's lecture of general education class, reading at the library, and while running laps.

At another clothing store, I browsed their wares to see if I could find some better quality shinobi sandals or combat boots. Mainly to see if it'll give an additional AGI boost.

"Excuse me young boy, are you going to be attending the Ninja Academy?"

Turning around to see who's speaking, I saw a man that's trying to be nice. At first, I thought he's only helping me out because my purchase was over 1,000 Ryo or my LUK stat being 11?

"Yes?"

"Well, I recommend you purchase the open-toed Shinobi sandals instead of those combat boots. Though it may be slightly more expensive, these footwear are specially designed for ninjas to flow chakra through the soles of their feet. In addition, the open-toed design allows the sandals to air out and dry quickly compared to the boots you're looking at."

"Some students reported in the past that they had trouble practicing their Chakra control such as climbing surfaces with their feet only."

Hearing the man's explanation, I used **[Observe]** on the sandals he's pointing at to see if he's telling the truth.

**Dark Brown Shinobi Sandals - Rank: Superior**

**-Specialized footwear designed for desert dwelling children who're aspiring to become ninja making it easier to stream chakra from the soles of their feet. ****The open toes allows the sandals to air out and dry quicker if they become soaked.**

**+4 AGI and +15% stamina reduction while running.**

Now that I think about it, the man's explanation makes sense. It's no wonder the ninja I saw in the anime don't wear closed toe shoes.

Turning on the bonus effect of **[Observe]**, I saw the salesman's name.

**Expert Tailor**

**Level 9**

**Yusei**

Hmm. Observe.

**Name: **Yusei

**Level: **9

**Class:** Civilian

**A married man in his early 30s who is the co-owner of Yumi's Clothes for Everything. He works as the store's cashier and tries his best to give customers excellent service so they'll come back for their shopping needs. **

"Thank you for the recommendation. How much is it?"

Yusei replied, "It'll be 700 Ryo."

That's a lot for a pair of shoes. But then again, you got to pay extra for quality work.

Paying the man the required Ryo, I returned to my dorm room and rearranged the furniture inside to give me enough room to maneuver about. Mainly so I can practice the Academy's beginner katas in the privacy of my own room.

Once I had enough space, I tried to remember the beginner katas Nonota showed me. Now what was the first step again? Left foot like this...

**3 Hours Later**

A few hours later trying to nail down the forms correctly, I received an alert for gaining the skills **[Beginner Suna Taijutsu]** and **[Taijutsu Mastery]**. I then continued to practice the katas until it became dinnertime.

With each level up in the skill, I made fewer mistakes and my movements became more refined and fluid. Of course, this only applied to **[Beginner Suna Taijutsu]**. The goal is to have this particular skill maxed out before the day Nonota shows us the katas.

Sometimes, I stubbed my toes on the corner of furniture or accidentally hit the wall while practicing my katas. The pain only lasted for a few seconds, but I continued my practice.

After dinnertime and getting the **[Dish Washing]** skill, I applied Saya's advice and went through the beginner katas while using **[Paper-Sticking]**. Doing this helped level two skills at the same time as long as I had Chakra to spare.

Nothing different happened during the school year I attended Aki's general education class, except for honing my skills I didn't have last time around. I tried to raise my luck by tossing the die multiple times to get results like snake eyes and such.

However, I wasn't lucky and only earned **+1 LUK** compared to my time at the orphanage. By April 1st at the Academy courtyard, I leveled up and received **[ID Create]** and **[ID Escape]** after acing all three general education exams again.

When I went back to the dorms and received my stipend from Katsuo, I rushed up the stairs to my room to double check the calendar.

I have essentially 9 days to level up my physical skills and myself before the first day of school on April 10th. And on that particular day, the teacher will pair me up against Kankuro for a Taijutsu spar.

Last time, I needed the Zombie ID because of money. Now however, I required that dungeon to improve myself.

ID Create: Empty ID.

ID Escape.

ID Create: Empty ID.

ID Escape.

**15 Minutes Later**

**Ding!**

**[ID Create]'s level has risen by 1.**

**ID Create (Active) Level: 2 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Currently available ID List:**

**0\. Empty ID - Monsters: None**

**1\. Zombie ID - Monsters: Zombies, Zombie Civilians, Zombie Bandits, Zombie Ninjas**

Before going inside the dungeon, I took a gamble by spending all 5 unspent points into the LUK stat on the character status screen. My reasoning for this particular stat is because nearly all protagonists rely on a little luck.

Not only will it be helpful for increasing the chance of critical hits, but it'll also increase the item drop rate of defeated monsters. As for when I'll stop spending points in the LUK stat, maybe after reaching a milestone of 100, 150, or maybe even 200.

**Are you sure you want to spend the following points?**

**+5 LUK**

**Current LUK: 12 **→ **17**

Yes. Resume.

Unlike my first experience here where I had zero combat experience and hesitated fighting monsters, I chose to fight against the stronger zombies right away. Starting straight off with the Level 4 Zombie Parents accompanied by their two Level 1 Zombie Kids from what I remember.

Moving to the village's outskirts, I located a Zombie Parent with their usual two Zombie Kids walking with them. Observe.

**Zombie Parent**

**Level:** 4

**HP:** 150

**-A slow moving, hard hitting, zombie version of a common civilian parent in the Naruto universe. It's always accompanied by two Zombie Kids.**

** -It'****ll enter an enraged mindset if one of their kids is harmed. It'll also become berserk if both kids die.**

Soon they discovered my presence and immediately attacked. The two kids rushed forwards, but I slipped past the two to go after the parent.

The parent reacted by slamming it's right hand downwards, when I moved within striking distance. Hopping to the right a few feet, I retaliated with a full powered punch on its thighs.

**CRITICAL! -36.59 HP!**

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created by using all your power to deal damage.**

Not now game, get out of the way! Dismissing the skill window for **[Power Strike]**, I jabbed the monster with additional hits to the same location.

**-15.25 HP! -22.18 HP!**

After whittling nearly half of its total HP, I backed off from the parent so all three zombies are within my sight. Usually, I'd take out the parent first before the kids, but I'm fighting unarmed without any weapons at all.

Repeating my earlier tactic of avoiding the kids and damaging the parent, I continued using the katas from **[Beginner Suna Taijutsu] **until it died.

**[Beginner Suna Taijutsu]'s level has risen by 1!**

**You've gained +9 EXP!**

**You've gained 150 Ryo!**

With the death of the parent, I could now focus on the small zombies before me. Dodging their attacks and counterattacking was a simple task, since they threw big swings anybody could avoid.

**You've gained +6 EXP!**

**You've gained 150 Ryo!**

Checking the time on my HUD, it only took a total of three minutes for the entire engagement and around two minutes of sneaking around to locate them. I then continued hunting for the parents and kids for the rest of the day only taking a break when it's approaching mealtime or to recover some CP.

I also received **[Physical Endurance]** after making a mistake and paying the price by being blindsided by a lone kid attacking from behind me. At the end of the first of nine days, I've earned a grand total of **525 EXP**, **10,500 Ryo**, and leveled up once to level two. In which I spent the points in LUK raising it from 17 to 22.

While inside the dungeon earlier, I was afraid of triggering a Legion Zombie boss event after killing over 100 zombies in one day. But the big boss never showed up, so I concluded that I didn't kill them fast enough.

For the next seven days, I killed the same amount of Zombies from the first day which summed up to **3,675 EXP**, **73,500 Ryo**, and leveling up to 5. And of course, I raised my LUK from 22 to 37.

Did I forget to mention that I started to see item drops now that my LUK is higher now? The items dropped from the parents are random bones and from the kids were teeth.

**Bone of the Dead - Rank: Average**

**A femur full of hatred of all things living. It can be used for dark Chakra techniques, a material for Alchemy, and several other purposes.**

**Tooth of the Dead - Rank: Average**

**A dirty and filthy tooth filled with the dead's resentment of all things living. It can be used for dark Chakra techniques, a material for Alchemy, and several other purposes.**

Using the money from my spoils, I bought myself 5 sets of each throwing weapon for a total of **7,500 Ryo**. With my current monetary funds, I started buying two pints of milk from Emerald Valley.

On the final day before the first day of school, I continued battling the level 4 zombies till I leveled up, which resulted in **375 EXP**, **7,500 Ryo**, and my LUK now being 42. With that done, I used the remaining time of the day to relearn how to throw shuriken, kunai, and senbon.

Their overall purpose is benefit from their passive DEX boost, which affects my attack speed. When it neared my bedtime, I checked my stats and felt confident that it'll be enough to beat Kankuro.

* * *

**April 10: Monday**

It's the beginning of a new school year and the events happened the same until Maki announced it's time for some Taijutsu spars. I thought with my increased LUK that I might not have to fight Kankuro, but Maki shattered that line of thinking immediately.

"First up is Kankuro versus Genji! Both of you get in the ring now."

**Quest Alert!**

**Beat Kankuro in a Taijutsu Spar**

**Have the teacher call the match in your favor.**

**Quest Reward: **+100 EXP and increased relations with classmates, Maki, and Nonota.

**Quest Failure: **+25 EXP

Heheh, Kankuro isn't going to be facing the ignorant reincarnated kid who had zero combat experience. He's going to face one that knows what he's doing and willing to dish out some pain.

Before going into the ring, I need to check Kankuro's info to see if anything is different. Observe.

**Name:** Kankuro

**Level:** 9

**Class:** Ninja Academy Student

**HP:** 515

**CP:** 1,320

**A young boy who is the second child of the 4th Kazekage and dreams of joining the puppet brigade of Suna. He despises younger kids because they remind him of his brother Gaara. He is conflicted as he cares for his brother, but is also fearful of his uncontrollable power and murderous moodswings.**

Once both of us were inside, Maki told us to do the seal of confrontation. It was then I activated **[Chakra Reinforcement]** for a temporary boost in STR and AGI before she yelled, "Begin!"

The both of us rushed towards each other and met in the middle of the ring. Kankuro punched directly at my face and I evaded easily enough. When he repeated the same attack with his left arm, I evaded the punch and retaliated with my own to his stomach.

**-23.71 HP!**

Kankuro gasped with my fist buried in his gut and soon refocused onto the fight. He became enraged that he didn't land the first clean strike of the match on a newbie.

Luckily for me, his frustration is something I'll gladly take advantage of. Let's make him more pissed so he'll make some mistakes.

Instead of waiting for him, I attacked by throwing some jabs at him chest high. Realizing my intentions, he blocked using his forearms to reduce the damage.

**-21.34 HP! -21.34 HP! ****-21.34 HP!**

In response, he countered with a sweeping low kick in which I jumped over it. Noticing the boost from **[Chakra Reinforcement]** disappeared, I reactivated the skill again.

When Kankuro's low kick failed to bring me down, he retaliated with a mixture of fast strikes and compact jabs. I blocked some and evaded others, while enduring for the right time to counter.

**-16.93 HP! -16.93 HP! -16.93 HP! CRITICAL! -25.4 HP!**

Soon, I saw an opening and capitalized on his mistake by thrusting a right handed palm strike at his stomach. Right before my palm made contact, I activated **[Power Strike]** to see how much damage I'll inflict.

**CRITICAL! -71.95 HP!**

What the hell is with that damage?! Kankuro staggered from the blow and judging from his facial emotions, he's surprised by the painful hit.

With another successful attack in my favor, I threw a left handed palm strike at Kankuro's face. He immediately raised his arms up to block the hit thinking it'll have the same impact as the previous attack, which is exactly what I wanted since it was only a feint.

Because his arms are blocking his line of sight, I used my left foot as a pivot point and performed a sweeping low kick. Upon making contact with his lower legs, I tripped him up and he landed on his backside.

Instead of being a moronic gentleman and let him stand back up, I pounced on this opportunity to get some free hits.

**-23.71 HP! -23.71 HP!** **-21.34 HP!**

Some of them connected, while the last one he blocked. He eventually managed to stand back up and positioned himself into his fighting stance.

From that point on, I believed the teacher would call the match in my favor and all I did was block or divert Kankuro's attacks. All so I could grind my **[Physical Endurance]** skill and this made him even more frustrated.

"STOP! The winner is Genji!", interceded Maki as she stepped between us. When I looked up at her, I saw a look of disbelief.

"Genji, great job for staying calm and taking advantage of your opponent. Kankuro, you need to control your anger. With uncontrolled anger comes mistakes. Mistakes that Genji took advantage of."

After that, Maki checked each of us to make sure there are no serious injuries. She told Kankuro to go the nurse's office just in case and said to me "Okay, you can go back and stand with your classmates. Next up is Daimaru versus Mamushi!"

**Ding!**

**Gained 100 EXP!**

**Your relations with Maki, Nonota, and your classmates except Kankuro have increased by 10!**

Before going back, I saw Kankuro glaring at me and he pointed at me with his index finger to declare something. Probably a cliché statement about revenge.

"Damn you! I'll get you next time for embarrassing me!", Kankuro said while pointed his index finger at me. I nodded in acknowledgment hoping he'll be stronger so I can push myself further.

Walking back to where my classmates are, I looked around to see their reaction. Most of them had thoughtful looks and the others were whispering to their friends about what they witnessed. When I looked at Temari, she was more concerned with Kankuro and his injuries.

While watching Daimaru get slaughtered by his opponent, I thought to myself "You know, payback feels so good."

As soon as school ended, I attended Kan's **[Way of the Fan]** elective and sat next to Temari in the front row. Her response to me was different after she asked my reasons for sitting with her.

"Genji-san, I'm sorry about my brother Kankuro. He acts like a sore loser and should know he can't win all the time."

"It's no problem, it's only a spar. I might've gone overboard with some of my hits, so I'm sorry about injuring Kankuro." Not really, little shit got what was coming to him for doing that to me on my previous save file.

Things proceeded the same as she pointed out any mistakes I made, while I practiced the fan katas Kan showed us. After eating dinner and washing the dishes, I went to my room and celebrated my achievement with a pint of Emerald Valley's milk.

But I shouldn't gloat about my victory forever. He's going to come back stronger and better, so back to the Zombie ID I go. Not to mention I need to focus on raising my other skills I've been neglecting just to ensure I'd beat him. I haven't even got my **[Bookworm]** title yet because of my time spent honing my physical skills.

* * *

**April 13: Thursday**

In Kon's **[Puppetry 101]**, I watched Saya and her skillful Chakra threads manipulating the snake puppet. Soon she announced herself to me and I heard her cocky introduction.

"Hey! You're watching me because I'm the strongest right?"

In response I said, "Yep! You're the strongest and most skillful in this room. From what I've seen from all three snake puppets, your snake's movement is naturally fluid. This means you have great Chakra control and skill."

**Your relations with Saya has increased by 10!**

"Hmph! As the next future head of my family, of course I'm strong. My name is Saya and you'll call me Lady Saya, Genji-san. By the way, I'm impressed by your performance against Kankuro today."

Huh?! I know the fight might've been one sided, but is that really her opinion?

"Why thank you Lady Saya, but I don't see what was so impressive about it? Could you please tell me?"

"Hmmm, well it's because you're different from everyone else. I'm impressed because you're strong and you faced Kankuro-san head on without holding back. In addition, your not afraid to sit or talk with someone despite their social status or connections."

So that's why she's agreeable with me, I'm different compared to the cowards around us. She's basically implying that most of the other students hold back because they're afraid of Kankuro's father. Like I care about kids sabotaging themselves because they're scared of expelling their family from Sunagakure.

Kon eventually told us about how to make Chakra Threads, but I already learned the skill earlier. Before leaving, I used **[Observe]** on Saya cause I'm curious of her information.

**Name:** Saya

**Level:** 12

**Class:** Ninja Academy Student

**HP:** 675

**CP: **1,590

**A young girl who will become the future head of her family, which specializes in Torture &amp; Interrgation. She is very arrogant, has a strong superiority complex, enjoys finding new prey, and isn't afraid to show her true nature. **

**Saya is a domineering girl and expects everyone underneath her to follow her orders. She respects those she believes are superior or those she acknowledges as not prey.**

Alright, be nice and polite to Lady Saya. Wouldn't want to get on her bad side and get called to the T&amp;I division for a special session.

You know, why was she nice to me last time even though I lost to Kankuro? Is it because I tried to fight back? Was it me giving her a compliment on her skills? Meh, I don't know. I'll solve that mystery at a latter date.

But for now, I need to work on my Chakra control skills and **[Meditation]**. So I'll be skipping the Zombie ID today to practice them to increase my passive INT bonuses.

Though if I was honest with myself, it's because I'm feeling a bit lazy and not in the mood for zombies. I worked my ass off to get the required physical skills and stats to beat Kankuro and I deserve a break to laze about.

If I constantly work with no breaks or vacation, I'll just burn out and lose motivation despite my life becoming a game. Besides, as long as I don't become a lazy person like Shikamaru, then a break once in a while is okay.

It was then I remembered a control exercise Kon showed us to do to hone our Chakra threads. What's great about it is that I can do it while laying down on my side.

Extending a thread from my right index finger and attaching it to a paper on my desk, I retracted the thread to pull the paper back to me and extended the thread to push the paper away.

I also practiced some lateral movements moving the paper up, down, left, and right by twitching my finger however I wanted until I ran out of Chakra. Then comes **[Meditation]** to restore my CP quickly, a small break to recover some stamina, and I'll repeat the actions until 11:00 PM.

* * *

**Interlude: The Yondaime Kazekage**

**Almost 1 Year Later, April 1: Sunday**

In the Wind Tower located at the center of Sunagakure, the Kazekage Rasa read various documents in his office. He sighed for the umpteenth time after double checking Suna's financial statements and reminisced on where it all went wrong.

Ever since he took up the mantle of Kazekage after his predecessor's disappearance, all of Suna's good fortune vanished. Before he disappeared, Sobek led the war effort in the 3rd Shinobi War and was in good standing with the previous Wind Daimyo, Sawada.

During said war, Sawada perished from an incurable illness and his eldest son, Sawara, succeeded him. Sawara had no idea how to run a country, no concept about finances, and probably believed money grew from trees.

It was at that point that the relationship between the Daimyo and Kazekage became tentative and highly dependent on the war's results.

With the Sandaime's disappearance and Suna losing the war overall, Sawara believed the village is weak and doesn't have many notable shinobi compared to the other four major hidden villages.

Rasa couldn't refute the Daimyo's claim because he's right about the current state of Suna's military forces. But he didn't admit said fact out loud and petitioned to the Daimyo, "Suna has Pakura, the hero."

Unfortunately for Rasa, the Daimyo arrogantly stated she's only one person and that reason alone isn't enough to justify funding a failure of a village. Sawara even mentioned that if Pakura wasn't alive, he'd written off the village entirely and cut his losses.

Rasa was glad he refused the Suna Advisory Council's plan to sacrifice Pakura to the Hidden Mist for the village's benefit. Those bloodthirsty swordsmen wouldn't have been appeased and Suna would've lost a valuable asset against Iwa.

He argued that she needed to produce offspring carrying her Scorch Release before even thinking of disposing her. The council accepted his rationale and searched for other alternatives to end hostilities with the Hidden Mist. Though he sighed with relief when Kiri focused more effort on their bloodline purges and ended the war with Suna.

To the Kazekage's despair, Sawara declared he'll be signing an alliance with the Fire Daimyo and will spend the money originally allocated to Suna for more worthy activities.

As a final insult to injury to Rasa before parting, Sawara said, "Konoha can do the same work cheaper and better than any of the shinobi you have. I might consider changing my mind if one of your shinobi manages to win the Chunin Exams. Like that'll ever happen!"

Angered at the thought of remembering the Daimyo's words, the Kazekage shook his head trying to calm himself down. He resents Sawara for spending the money Suna desperately needs for hosting large extravagant parties and signing the alliance agreement with Konoha that's detrimental to Suna's stability and interests.

Doesn't the moron realize Suna is the village responsible for keeping Wind Country safe? It's not Konoha who safeguards the country's borders, trade routes, and territory, but Sunagakure!

Due to this incoming financial crisis, Rasa had to find ways to make sure there's money to fund the ninja program and administrative operations to manage the village. Thus the first solution is to rely on his Gold dust.

Gold dust was a highly volatile commodity dependent on the whims of the upper class and nobility. This lessened the financial burden somewhat, but it's not enough.

The village also relies on other sources of income like mining, but its not enough to offset the growing debt. He made it a priority to find something else to stop the village's dependence on the Gold dust trade.

He tried negotiating with the Sandaime Hokage to receive some of the outsourced missions Konoha doesn't want and even paying a fee that's favorable to them as well. But then those meddling advisors of his changed Sarutobi's mind and he declined his offer.

No matter what measures Rasa attempted and implemented, it isn't enough to stop the village's budget going deeper into the red. That's when councilman Yura suggested reducing the monthly stipend of orphans and the entire council agreed on it. But this measure will only save so much.

Hearing the door open, he saw his secretary coming in with more stacks of paperwork to deliver to him. It's going to be the usual Suna is in dire straits and here's more proof the village is deeper in the hole.

He grabbed the top paper and saw a reminder by the council of tomorrow's meeting. If tomorrow's topic isn't about improving the village's finances, then it'll be a progress report on his youngest son Gaara.

After sealing the tailed beast inside him and personally teaching him Ninjutsu, he hoped Gaara would be a valuable weapon to the village. But he's starting to look more like a failure as he can't control the beast's sand powers. Rasa decided to give him one or two more years and if he doesn't improve, he'll have to kill his son for the good of the village.

Next on the stack of papers is a report on the Ninja Academy's students. He decided to check the reports of the class his children are in to see if there's anybody notable who could potentially serve as a temporary or replacement weapon if his experiment with Gaara turns out to be a failure.

He opened the first file and it listed information and facts about a student named Shira. The more Rasa read, the more he didn't like Shira.

His thoughts were 'This student is trash. He isn't worthy to become a shinobi of Suna. If I allowed him to become a ninja, he'll die on a mission and tarnish the village's reputation'.

He picked up the next file and read some information about Mamushi. His opinion is the kid could become a potential weapon for Suna, since he's a battle maniac and follows orders. However, he easily caves under intimidation so that issue might have to be fixed or not."

Finally he picked up the last Academy report and it's about a student named Genji. Rasa remembered that name in particular when he ate dinner with his children and Kankuro ranted about losing to another student for the 20th time.

Upon opening the file, his initial thoughts was this student is shaping up to become a powerful ninja in the future unlike the other two. That's when he took a closer look at the boy's picture and suddenly stilled.

THIS BOY?!

The dark blue hair and those yellow eyes. He looked like someone shrunk his predecessor and turned him into a kid. His curiousity piqued, he then read Genji's Academy profile and overall performance.

**Ninja Academy Profile**

**Student Name: **Genji

**Eye Color: **Yellow

**Hair Color: **Dark Blue

**Age: **6 years old

**Notable Facial Features: **Has red eyeliner around his eyes and is always seen wearing a bandana covering his forehead.

**Notable Achievements and other details at the Ninja Academy**

**Scored a perfect 100% on his General Education Exams at 4 years old and in under 20 minutes.**

**Currently participating in [Way of the Fan] and [Puppetry 101] elective classes. Both Kan and Kon have expressed keen interest in getting him in their divisions.**

**He's one of three students who can beat Kankuro in a Taijutsu spar without holding back in fear of his familial relations.**

**Currently ranked 5th place out of 40 in his class.**

**Has expressed interest in graduating early at 7 years old due to not feeling like he's learning anything in his studies.**

**Teacher Commentary &amp; Observations**

**Aki: **Appeared to be bored out of his mind when attending my class. Spent more time and effort in learning how to speak and write than anything else.

I also observed him secretly spying on older kids during lunch time recording information like techniques and tips in a journal. He also went above and beyond whatever I asked the students to do in physical education. If I tell them to do something, Genji will double that amount and I think he sees my orders like a game.

**Nonota: **He's a very hard worker and I notice he's able to understand and improve rapidly. He's talented in Taijutsu and doesn't hold back in spars against Kankuro. He'll be ready for the Advanced katas of the Academy Taijutsu soon.

In other news, I heard from my one of my friends who works at the library that young Genji goes there often to read books. The subjects range from general subjects, medical knowledge, or whatever interests him.

**Maki: **A hardworking genius student who constantly trains to improve himself. Genji surprised me when he defeated Kankuro without being taught any Taijutsu katas and continues to defeat him in spars. His fighting style is a mish mash of punches, kicks, feints, and counters.

Some students have reported that whenever they spar with Genji, they'll sometimes feel an attack that does a lot of damage even if it's a glancing blow. I have no idea what his training regiment is, but it's definitely working. I'll eventually pair him with Shira, so he won't develop a large ego.

**Kan:** The student named Genji has befriended Temari by sitting next to her in my class when nobody will. She helps corrects any mistakes in his fan katas, whenever I'm busy helping other students. He does the katas and swings without any complaints.

**Kon:** Genji is a curious individual who asks questions on how something works when others take it for granted. He befriended Saya and used honey coated words of complimenting her skills to fish some information from her.

Upon finishing the report, the leader of Suna thought 'This boy! He's looks like he's going to be the best of his generation and a possible familial relation with Sobek. I believe I have found the weapon the council and I have wanted that'll defend Suna and its best interests'.

"ANBU Okina! Bring this Academy student named Genji here to my office immediately!"

* * *

**April 1: Sunday**

It's the first day of my Summer break and I continued practicing my Chakra control exercises inside my air conditioned dorm room. Then I heard somebody knocking on my door, which is usually Katsuo if it's something important.

Believing it to be him, I opened the door to see several Suna ANBU wearing Noh masks outside. UH OH!

It was at that very moment I asked myself a question. Did I get caught doing something illegal?

Am I going to be reprimanded by the big boss himself for accidentally beating Kankuro too hard in our spars? Or maybe someone saw me using my Iron Sand Manipulation or something?

**ANBU Leader**

**Level 175**

**Okina**

The leader of the group wearing an old man mask approached and demanded in a muffled voice, "You are Genji correct? You're to come with us now." The agent held his hand for me to grab onto.

For a moment, I panicked in my mind and thought these guys could be Suna's version of ROOT. So I decided to double check who exactly wants to meet me before going any further.

"Excuse me sir, but the Maki-sensei taught us to not trust suspicious strangers. She said stranger danger and to watch out for pedophiles and or molesters in disguises. So who am I going to meet?"

While cracking a joke at the ANBU's expense was stupid, I needed to know who these people are. I could've used **[Observe]**, but I don't have enough time to read seven ANBU shinobi profiles.

The hand of the shinobi with the old man mask twitched a bit after I suggested he's a possible weirdo and spoke up again with a tinge of annoyance.

"The Kazekage has summoned you and wants to meet you now!"

Wonderful, it's the leader of the village I'm living in who wants to meet.

"Well why didn't you say that in the first place?", I told the ANBU group captain. Exiting my room and locking the door, I grabbed the operative's hand and off we go.

In a blink, we zoomed through the dorm and public streets before arriving at a secretary's desk being manned by a generic male civilian. While the ANBU approached a door, I saved my game.

Pause. Save Data. Overwrite Save File 3.

**Do you want to overwrite 'Survive Gaara: 1st Meeting' with '1st Meeting with Kazekage Rasa'?**

Yes.

**Save Data**

**Save File 1: 1st Day of Life Mid-Tutorial**

**Save File 2: Becoming 3.5 Years Old**

**Save File 3: 1st Meeting with Kazekage Rasa**

Resume.

"Kazekage-sama! We brought the kid, awaiting your permission to let him inside."

"Send the boy in."

The ANBU opened the door for me and I walked inside. Hopefully, I don't screw this chance up.

After entering, I noticed the furniture was in decent condition and the Kazekage sitting behind his desk with various open files and papers on it. Looking at his face, he reminds me of a grown up Kankuro with his serious visage and let's get down to business look.

It's not a good idea to pop off any wisecracks or insults with the leader of this village. A man who could make my life a living hell if he so chooses.

Should I dumb myself down so my vocabulary is within a kid's range? Maybe, but this person is the Kazekage so he can probably tell if I'm not being truthful because of his experience.

"Good afternoon Kazekage-sama, is there something you needed from me?"

"Welcome Genji, I have called you here today so you can answer some of my questions. Let's start off with your association with Temari and Kankuro. Did you know they are my children?"

"Yes sir, I knew because I kept hearing about my classmates being scared of making them mad. In the beginning, I thought everyone avoided Temari because she has cooties and Kankuro for being a big meanie with a stick up his butt. Though he seems to dislike anyone who is younger than him."

The leader of Suna coughed a bit to correct his voice, but I'm not sure if it was genuine or something to make me nervous.

"Next question. I've heard from my son Kankuro, that you defeated him several times in Taijutsu matches. I know he's training to become a puppeteer and has a personal Jonin-sensei to lessen his close combat weakness all puppeteers seem to have, but he doesn't explain how you, an orphan, managed to beat my son repeatedly?

I went back in time because I was a total newbie with absolutely zero combat experience and got beaten by him on my first go around. Like hell he'll believe this nonsensical answer.

What to say, what to say? I've got it!

I'll point out my opponent's flaws, faults, and mistakes repeatedly like a typical politician. They're pretty good experts in the blame game and being vague as fuck when explaining their agenda.

"Kazekage-sama, it's easy to beat Kankuro cause he makes a lot of mistakes when he gets really mad. It's also easy to get him mad, if I land the first strike or avoid his attacks. He believed I couldn't win because of my younger age, but I proved him wrong."

"That sounds like him alright. My next question is have you witnessed or experienced anything odd whenever you use Chakra?"

While trying to formulate a response, I realized his true intent behind the question. It doesn't take a genius to realize that my features look similar to his predecessor. Basically, he's asking if I used **[Iron Sand Manipulation]** or some form of the Magnet Release bloodline limit.

"Yes, I've noticed something odd happening after Nonota-sensei helped me learn how to mold Chakra. This black sand appeared and I started playing with it, but I couldn't figure out what it is. Do you know sir?"

After I stated that I do have the Magnet Release, Rasa wasn't surprised judging from his face and asked me, "Can you show me the black sand you described to me?"

"Okay sir."

I moved my right hand outwards with my palm facing the ceiling and activate the skill. I deliberately gathered the Iron Sand particles slowly above my palm and manipulated it to form a cube.

The leader stated, "Do you know what that ability is?"

I know what it is, but I'll play dumb here since they haven't even taught us about bloodline limits in the Academy yet.

"No sir, is it special?"

Checking his reaction to my answer, his look is one of calm indifference. After several seconds of awkward silence, Rasa spoke up again.

"Yes, it's a very special ability. What you have is the Magnet Release bloodline limit and it allows one to manipulate a mineral substance to do whatever they want. Do you know who your parents are?"

Technically I do, but he isn't going to believe that I was awake during my first moments in this world.

"No sir, I was raised in the orphanage with the caretaker named Eri. What's a bloodline limit?"

"A bloodline limit is a special ability that only people who were born within certain families can do. The Magnet Release is one of several bloodline limits originating from Suna. But there are ninja such as Toroi of Kumogakure who have it as well."

"Back in past wars, these special people are high value targets and various village's tried their best to abduct them to bolster their military forces. An elite task force of Kumo shinobi kidnapped a male Suna-nin with the Magnet Release ability and used him to make more users."

"Anyways, those with this specific ability have Chakra with magnetic properties circulating within their body. With this magnetic property, it allows them to manipulate mineral substances with their chakra. Some users discover they're naturally attuned with a specific mineral metal."

"For example, I'm attuned with Gold even though it isn't magnetic. There were some in the past who were attuned with Gold, Nickel, Cobalt, Iron, and Silver. But in your case it's Iron."

"My predecessor, the Sandaime Kazekage Sobek, was famous throughout the Elemental Nations for manipulating black sand known as Iron Sand to defeat his enemies in battle. He's the first user to understand the intricacies of the bloodline limit after researching the properties of Suna's Tailed Beast."

"Due to the fruits of his research and his destructive Jutsu utilizing Iron Sand, he's renown as the strongest Kazekage in the village's history. And I believe you might be related to him because of your facial features."

"ANBU! Summon a medical ninja specializing in DNA with a blood testing kit and a sample of the 3rd Kazekage's DNA."

Better ask him what we're doing since I'm pretty sure the Academy hasn't covered advanced science like DNA yet.

"Umm... What are we doing now Kazekage-sama?"

"What we're about to do is have you go through a blood test to see if you have any familial relations with the 3rd Kazekage. While we wait for the medical personnel to arrive, I have details about your mother from your medical records. Would you like to hear about her?"

I nod towards him, since I can't say I already know what she looks like.

"Your mother's name is Miya. She resides within Sunagakure and is currently working as a hostess in the red light district. Her reasons listed for giving you to the orphanage was not having enough money to properly feed and take care of your needs."

"It's not surprising at all, ever since Suna's economy has went downhill. Would you like to meet and possibly live with your mother?"

If I meet with her now, then I'll fail the quest and never see her again. But did he really just say that she's working in the Red Light District? I hope she didn't have to lower herself to prostitution to get money or else I'll feel really bad about it.

"Not yet sir. I want to live with my mother after graduating from the Academy. What's the Red Light District?"

"I see. Well the Red Light District is a place that adults go to for fun activities, dining, and relaxation. It's not a place for little kids. Anymore questions?"

Yes I do. Time to drain you of some knowledge so I have an alibi other than 'I found the information at the library'.

**10 Minutes Later**

Even though I knew certain details from the canon source, I asked several questions about the bloodline limit and he answered them. Well, except Elemental Affinities because that's too advanced of a subject for an Academy Student. One thing I learned is that in the future, I'll be able to control my Iron Sand with just my mind alone.

It was then the door opened revealing a male doctor wearing a white lab coat and carrying several sealing scrolls.

"Have you brought everything needed to perform the task?", demanded the Kazekage demanded as he wants answers of my lineage immediately.

The doctor replied with a firm "Yes sir, let me set up my equipment first." He then started to unseal various items from his scrolls like a vial of blood, working table, medical gloves, clipboard with medical papers, several needles, and various medical tools.

Next he unfurled a scroll and it was different from the other ones that stored items within it. This particular one revealed a complex Fuinjutsu formula with some circles on it in the shape of a Venn Diagram. Inside the overlapping areas listed the words father, mother, uncle, aunt, and several others.

Once done with his preparations, the doctor declared, "Everything's set up, permission to proceed sir?"

"Yes, but first explain how this is going to work before drawing the boy's blood."

"Hai Kazekage-sama. This scroll's formula is specialized for testing two DNA samples to see if there are any familial relations between the two. The sealing formula will also reveal and confirm any bloodline abilities from the blood samples dropped in the two circles."

"As for the other scroll, this sealing formula will compare the blood sample to the DNA sequences of any other clans just to see if there are any matches. I'll take the remaining sample of the boy's blood back to the labs to compile a more detailed report for you to read later on and to make sure the test results are correct."

There's a formula that can do that?! SHIT!

So much for keeping my Kaguya heritage a secret. The doctor slipped on his medical gloves and performed the usual procedures one does when drawing blood. Before the needle punctured my right arm, I made sure **[AISD]** will remain inert and not attack the doctor.

**-5 HP!**

After drawing enough blood to fill up several vials with my name on it, he patched me up with a standard cotton ball and bandage. Once he was done with me, he proceeded to do the DNA test.

The doctor dripped some of my blood on the right circle and some of the 3rd's blood in the left circle. When the blood settled, the formula started to do its work and the green color appeared next to father.

"So what's the result?!, asked the Kazekage.

The doctor replied in a professional manner, "Sir! The preliminary results state this boy here is the son of the Sandaime Kazekage by blood."

Guess that confirms my early conclusion of being related to him. The doctor then used more of my blood and dripped it on the other scroll to compare my DNA to other clans.

Colors started appearing and from what I could see, it's like this. Red means no relation, orange for some relation, and green for definite.

"Sir, the DNA matcher has reported additional information that shouldn't be said out loud without implementing security measures."

Uh oh, is he talking about the Kaguya clan's bloodline limit or my skill **[AISD]**? Better prepare my excuses just in case.

Rasa motioned his hidden guards and activated something, probably some privacy seals. Once it's done, he nodded to the doctor to proceed.

"This boy has two bloodline limits. The first is the Magnet Release and if the medical results are correct, then he's also related to the Kaguya clan."

The doctor walked around and observed me and said, "He even has the physical traits that identify someone related to that clan too. Could you please take off your bandana?"

Complying with the doctor's request, I removed my dark blue bandana. He then pointed at my traits to the Kazekage to prove his evidence.

"You see sir, the reddish circles above his eyebrows and the eyeliner around his eyes are proof of his heritage. While those of that clan usually have white hair and a zigzagging hair line, little Genji here is different."

"His father's genes are dominant which explains his dark blue hair and yellow irises. If you look here, his spiky hair covers up the zigzagging hair line near the middle of his forehead. This explains why it isn't noticeable unless you physically search for it."

Looking back at the Kazekage, he was silent and I wonder what he's going to do next. Is he going to execute me for being a threat too deadly to the village or will he train me to make use of my talents. Maybe he's scheming how my bloodlines will benefit the village and weighing the pros and cons?

Rasa declared in a serious tone, "What was just said during this meeting and Genji's DNA records are now 'A' class state secrets. Anyone who discloses this information to any foreign shinobi will be put to death, including their families."

Those are some harsh consequences. Did he say that specifically to the ANBU watching us or for the doctor in the room with us? Probably both.

"This information cannot be leaked until young Genji has been sufficiently trained to defend himself. Doctor, you're dismissed for now. Continue your work at the labs because I expect your report to be submitted in a timely manner."

"Hai Kazekage-sama!" After the doctor left, I heard Rasa clear his voice to get my attention.

"Genji, I have a proposition for you to consider. The village and I will give you the essential training needed to become a strong shinobi and control your Iron Sand manipulation."

"The teacher I'll assign will assist your efforts in graduating early. In addition, you can legally move in and own Sobek's house he formerly resided in when he was still the Kazekage. Your mother can live with you in the house too."

All of that sounds wonderful, but there's usually a catch.

"In exchange, I'd like you to start a family after becoming an adult."

And there's the catch. He basically wants me to restart the Kaguya clan based here in Suna instead of Kiri. He's using me to benefit Suna and I'm using the village to attain the necessary power to ensure I live past the 4th Shinobi War.

So far, I don't see anything wrong with what he's offering so I'll agree to it.

"I understand and agree Kazekage-sama. By the way sir, do you know what happened to my father? The Academy books never explained what exactly happened, they just say he disappeared."

"The Academy books are correct as its the leading theory and investigators believe he was kidnapped by a hostile and powerful enemy force. There were signs of battle at his last sighted location where we recovered the remains of his personal guards."

Hmm, so Sasori didn't completely erase all the evidence of his battle with my supposed father. That's a bit sloppy on his part unless he didn't have enough time to do so. Well I can't think of anything else to ask him so better to ask if I can leave.

"Sir, is there anything else I need to do?"

Rasa shook his head and said, "No, just remember to show up at Training Field 50's entrance at 8:00 AM this Tuesday. At that place, your teacher will be ready to teach you and they'll decide what your training schedule will be. Understood?"

"I understand."

"Good, you can go now. Remember our agreement or there'll be penalties for forgetting. Ask my secretary outside for directions to the exit of the building."

Doing as he said, the secretary pointed to the hallway and told me to go down the stairs to the ground floor level. Once I exited the building, I sighed in relief that I didn't screw up as much as I thought.

The man went straight to the point with his questions and there was no time for pleasantries. For some reason, I felt the odd vibe of "For the greater good of Sunagakure" from him. But it makes sense, since he's willing to sacrifice his son Gaara to become a weapon for the village.

Checking the current time which was 3:30 PM, I have enough time to locate where Training Field 50 is. I need to find a Genin or Chunin to give me directions, so it's best to ask one of those unimportant background characters. At least they'll be useful for knowledge about general information no matter how useless they seem to be.

Looking around Suna's main street leading to the Wind Tower, I found the ideal candidate after using **[Observe]** on the crowd around me. It's a generic male Chunin in his teens with a plain face and wore Suna's beige brown flak jacket.

"Excuse me mister Chunin, can you please tell me where Training Field 50 is?"

The teen turned around with a smile on his face and puffed his chest out with pride upon being called a Chunin. The dude thinks he's tough shit for becoming one at age 18, but he happily answered my question.

"Sure kid! The Training grounds can be found West of here. You can find them by traveling down this street and eventually, you'll reach a three way fork in the road. There, you'll find a sign that'll list directions to whichever training field you're going to."

Finished with saying thanks to the helpful teen, I followed his directions jogging down the westward leading road. The number of people dwindled the further one travels away from the hubbub of the central area of the village.

This included the buildings as well as they were replaced with more open fields. Soon I reached the aforementioned fork and read the simple wooden sign.

The sign displayed the following information in bold black ink:

**Ninja Training Grounds**

**Left path for Fields 60 - 56**

**Center path for Fields 55 - 50**

**Right path for Fields 49 - 45**

***Enter at own risk if you're non-shinobi* **

Moving forwards on the center path at a normal walking pace, I passed by Field 55's entrance five minutes later. There's a large building that functions as a public rest area and refuge from sandstorms near the entrance.

The same thing occurred as I passed the other fields and I arrived at training ground 50's entrance, which took around 25 minutes. Checking my mini-map, I saw the distance it took to get here.

Deciding to take a small break, I entered the building to see what amenities the rest building offered. There's several vending machines for drinks, bathroom facilities so ninja don't have to pollute the grounds, and a lounge area full of comfortable furniture bolted down so nobody can steal them.

Leaving the rest area, I entered the training grounds to see if there's anything special about it. At the entrance, there's another sign warning anyone who enters need to be aware of their personal responsibility.

**SUNAGAKURE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY PERSONAL ITEMS LEFT BEHIND, LOST, OR STOLEN!**

So the policy implies it's A-Okay to take anything lying around the training field if their owner doesn't pick them up? Good to know stealing isn't a capital offense or a minor misdemeanor here.

Going onto the grounds, I noticed the entire perimeter is lined with tall solid stone walls. My estimation of the area is around 10 acres give or take.

Walking around the wide expanse of land, the grounds can be divided into four main areas.

The first is a weapons range for throwing weapons. There's more than 30 tall and thick logs with bulls-eye targets on them evenly spaced apart. Half of this area is a rocky ground and the other is desert sand.

The second is similar to the Academy's obstacle course, except it's bigger and has more difficult obstructions. There's a tightropes suspended at various elevations like one story high and upwards. Now that I think about it, I can't become a shinobi if I have a fear of heights. I'll have to practice at a latter time to lessen that fear.

The third zone is a replica of an urban environment. If I had to guess, its purpose is to train shinobi for urban warfare, infiltration, wall jump between two buildings across the street, and such. It even has telephone poles with tightropes acting like pseudo-power lines.

**You gained +1 WIS for figuring out the purpose of this specific area.**

The last area which is the largest amongst them all is actually empty land. It's only cactuses, rocky mountainous terrain, and desert sand. Though I see portions of the rocky area looking unnatural, possibly caused by an Earth Jutsu.

Maybe this area is used to train Suna-nin against Iwa-nin, Jutsu, and to simulate a wilderness survival exercise?

**You gained +1 WIS for using the evidence presented before you to make your conclusion.**

I'm just racking up points for WIS. Do I have enough time to practice some skills here for a bit? Hmm, it's 5:10 PM.

It took an hour of traveling from the Wind Tower to the three way fork and another 30 minutes from field 55 to field 50. That's not enough time to make it back to the dorm's cafeteria, since it doesn't include the time it takes to go from the Wind Tower to the dorm complex itself.

Then again, it took that long because I walked to get here. Alright, let's jog or run back home. I could have save scummed, but doing this will help build up my VIT and AGI.

By the time I made it back to the cafeteria, it took me around one hour of jogging and running. I didn't get any stat increases, but I'll get some eventually.

After eating dinner and washing the dishes, I entered the Zombie ID to practice the Academy's taijutsu style on the usual zombie parents.

* * *

**April 2: Monday**

It's the day before I meet my new teacher and I tried to remember if there's anything I needed to prepare before the appointed time. Checking my appearance on the Character Status screen and comparing it to the ninjas I've seen before, I noticed a discrepancy.

I noticed I'm not wearing a weapon holster on my legs or a hip pouch. Well I never considered buying one because of my unlimited inventory, but now I have a good reason to do so.

The teacher is most certainly going to question how the heck I'm pulling several sets of ninja weapons and lunch out of my cargo short's pockets without using a storage scroll. Better go and buy some equipment such as a lesser sealing scroll.

**Ding!**

**You've gained +1 WIS for your wise decision of making a good first impression.**

Heh, another point in WIS. Opening the door into one of several establishments selling ninja supplies, a bell rang alerting the shopkeeper.

Checking the person tending the store, there's nothing special about him. Just a generic male wearing round polarized sunglasses and a bandana on his head.

Grabbing a small shopping basket, I searched for the items on my shopping list. Everywhere I went in the store, the man watched my every move like a hawk making sure I wasn't here to shoplift.

Soon I found the items I was looking for in Aisles three and four. The items in question came in a few different colors and I inspected each one using **[Observe]** to look for the ones with the best quality.

Normally, a shinobi wears one leg holster and one or two hip pouches. But not me cause I picked up two of each so I don't feel off balance. Kind of like Death the kid from Soul Eater who's OCD about symmetry.

Eventually, I found some that are superior ranked quality and didn't have any defects listed in the description.

**Weapon Holster - Rank: Great**

**-An equipment holster made out of thick leather dyed a dark blue color. This accessory is meant to be worn around the thigh above the kneecap.**

**+Durability: 20 **

**Ninja Hip Pouch - Rank: Great**

**-A beige colored and compartmentalized pouch made out of thick leather useful for storing several small objects in it. It's meant to be worn on the waist and has small loops on its back so you can run a belt through it.**

**+Durability: 20**

The holster is priced at 50 Ryo and pouch is 80 Ryo. In addition, I found picked up several rolls of white ninja tape for 30 Ryo which is required to make the leg holster remain secure when moving around. Before going to the cashier, I got ten High Calorie Granola meal bars costing 9 Ryo each.

Dumping all the items on the countertop, I inquired if the store carried any sealing scrolls that stores items. The cashier replied that they do indeed carry them.

Small sealing scrolls cost 850 Ryo each and they're small enough to fit several inside a hip pouch. There's also the medium sized scroll which costs 1,900 Ryo.

"Okay, I want to buy five small scrolls please."

"Your total is 4,630 Ryo", the shopkeeper states. After paying the money, the shopkeeper explained to me me how to use the storage scrolls.

"To store objects into the scroll, place the items in the center of the sealing circle and inject your Chakra into the seal. To withdraw an item, you inject your Chakra into the circle again."

Once the man finished explaining, I shoved everything into my inventory and tried to remember if there's anything else I need to remember. Then I remembered the appointed time is 8:00 AM and breakfast is served at 7:30 AM.

Thirty minutes is not enough time. I won't make it there, even if I ran there.

Tcch! So this means I'll have to skip breakfast if I want to make it on time? No way I'm skipping for I wouldn't be as focused when I'm hungry. But what are my options?

I could buy ingredients and attempt to cook for myself, but I don't have access to the gas stove in my room. Then there's the energy bars I bought.

Takeout? Well, I have all this money on hand so I can easily afford it. Looks like it'll be restaurant takeout then. Time to find a family restaurant that allows takeout.

If I can't find one, then I'll have to stick with the energy bars. After exploring the area for an hour, I've found several places that I can eat inside and order takeout.

I couldn't decide which one to enter, so I chose the nearest one which is called Sanae's Family Restaurant. The inside had several circular tables with diners eating a variety of dishes that I don't recognize. A young waitress approached after I stood around not doing anything for several seconds.

"Hello, welcome to Sanae's Family Restaurant! Are you eating by yourself or expecting company?"

"I'm here by myself."

"Okay then, please follow me to your table. Here's the menu and I'll be back to take your order." The lady then left to attend to another customer's order.

Huh? Isn't she going to question why a little kid is here by himself? Guess earning money from paying customers is more important than intruding on someone's personal business.

Reading the menu, I noted the following dishes and information that interested me.

**Sanae's Value Menu**

**Seasoned Rice Meal - 13 Ryo: **Cooked rice seasoned with sesame and saffron along with some other herbs and spices.

**Vegetable Millet Curry - 16 Ryo: **A curry dish mixed with millet, onions, hot peppers, chilies, and some vegetables.

**Kibi Dango Set - 12 Ryo: **Three white colored millet dumplings on a stick made from millet flour and other ingredients.

**Chadango Set - 12 Ryo: **Three green tea flavored dango on a stick.

**Anpan - 13 Ryo:** A Sweet bun filled with red bean paste.

**Simple Onigiri - 8 Ryo per ball: **Portable rice ball you can eat on the go.

**Beef Shigureni Onigiri - 15 Ryo per ball: **Portable rice ball with cooked beef meat on the inside as the filling.

**Green Tea - 6 Ryo: **Standard green tea.

**Fruity Drink - 30 Ryo:** A sweet red fruit drink consisting of a variety of fruits.

***Customers are expected to pay up front before their food is served* **

***A surcharge of 8 Ryo is applied for takeout***

The dishes mentioned are the ones I considered ordering, namely because I wanted to start off with something simple. Soon the same waitress came back after three minutes and asked, "So are you ready to order?"

"Yes, I'll have a seasoned rice meal, vegetable millet curry, and green tea. For takeout, I want two anpan, four Kibi Dango Sets, eight simple onigiri, and eight beef shigureni onigiri.

She stood there surprised by my large order and the told me, "Okay then, your total will be 301 Ryo." Reaching into my pocket, I withdrew the 320 Ryo from my inventory and paid the bill.

The lady counted the money and double checked the bills to make sure it's not a counterfeit. Then she smiled and said my order will be coming soon.

After waiting a few minutes, my food has been served and the waitress told me that my takeout order will be ready to pick up after I finish my meal. Looking at the food brought before me, I used **[Observe]** to see each dish's effect if I consumed them.

**Seasoned Rice Meal - Rank: Great**

**-A simple rice meal flavored with saffron, onions, and spices. Restores 15 HP.**

**Vegetable Millet Curry - Rank: Great**

**-A dish made of fried millet, eggs, spices, and rice . Restores 25 HP.**

**Green Tea - Rank: Great**

**-Water boiled and flavored with a Green Tea leaves. Restores 15 CP.**

My initial impression of the rice meal and curry is they're aromatic and smell appetizing. After consuming them both, I can definitely say it tastes a whole lot better than eating plain cooked rice.

However, I didn't like the green tea too much as I prefer sweet tea. Sure they say 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do', but I find the liquid a bit bland in taste.

When I come back here again, I'll order the fruity drink next time. Done with my meal, I checked with the waitress at the counter and she handed over my takeout order.

"Thank you for your patronage! Please come back again!"

Leaving the place, I took a shortcut back home through an abandoned alley. As usual, if I'm carrying something cumbersome or freshly made, I'd deposit it in my inventory at the nearest alley with nobody around.

Entering my room, I did my usual thing.

ID Create: Zombie ID.

Because it's going to be a new school year soon, it's time to move on from the level 4 Zombie parents. So I'm going to engage the stronger enemies using only Taijutsu.

Stealthily sneaking through the ruined village to the outskirts, I found a lone bandit. Observe.

**Zombie Bandit**

**Level: **5

**HP: **175

**A slow moving hard hitting zombie version of a common bandit in the Naruto universe and becomes a dangerous enemy if it's in a large group. This one is wielding a dagger coated with a paralyzing poison.**

**While it has no graceful technique when wielding a weapon, it'll use trickery to win and calls for backup if any other bandits are nearby. There's a chance of it dropping the weapon it wields as a super rare drop for a loot reward.**

Reading that it has a weapon that causes paralysis, I made a mental reminder to avoid that blade at all costs. Feeling a little paranoid about the zombie, I chucked a kunai at his head to whittle its HP down before getting in close.

**CRITICAL! -46.46 HP!**

The bandit turned around and charged at me leading with his dagger in front of him. I stepped to the side and avoided the attack easily as it reminded me of a charging bull. Then I felt **[Sense Danger]** alerting me of something incoming.

Suddenly the zombie stopped on a dime and slashed outwards towards my face. Quickly ducking underneath the powerful swing that surprised me, I countered with an uppercut to its jaw combined with **[Power Strike]**.

**CRITICAL! -160.52 HP!**

**You gained 12 EXP!**

**You gained 175 Ryo!**

Once dead, the bandit burst into dark particles and I saw it left behind the dagger it was wielding. Observe.

**Sousou Poison Dagger - Rank: Unique**

**-A dagger with the special effect of increasing damage dealt to enemies by 20%. The poison currently on the blade is a paralytic poison which randomly paralyzes its victim.**

**Durability: 15/50 | Attack: +35**

Talk about being lucky. I received a super rare drop after engaging my first bandit.

My investment in LUK is finally paying its dividends. Although I'll have to repair the weapon first to restore its durability before using it at a latter date to hopefully learn the **[Dagger Mastery]** skill, if there is one.

But for now, it's Taijutsu. And I can't level up my Academy Taijutsu if I finish these damn bandits off in nearly one hit using **[Power Strike]**.

Thus I continued to hunt bandits who were wandering alone. Some of their drops was a trashy iron fragment I'll probably use to level up **[Blacksmithing]** in the future.

**Iron Fragment - Rank: Poor**

**-A metal fragment chipped off from a weapon made of Iron. Guess some bandits don't really care about maintaining their weapon's condition. Has little to no retail value. Maybe you can use it for something?**

Eventually, I killed one and it dropped what looked to be a small bag. Feeling curious of the object, I used **[Observe]**.

**Noble's Coin Purse - Rank: Superior**

**-A bag made of high quality silk containing something valuable like Ryo, Gold, Jewels, and etc. It's kind of like the lottery, you won't know until what you got until you open it. The retail value of the bag can be sold for quite a bit of Ryo. **

Opening the bags contents, I saw it contained a large amount of Ryo. After counting the money, it totaled to 10,000 Ryo. Lucky me.

I think that's enough hunting for now. Don't want to push my luck after killing my 30th Zombie Bandit. Making my way back to my room, I used **[ID Escape]** and calculated my total earnings so far since April 1st of last year.

Adding today's spoils to the count, I've earned **210,360 EXP** and **4,205,250 Ryo**. Hopefully the teacher I meet tomorrow morning isn't a prick, a goofball like Ebisu, or an incompetent moron.

* * *

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya - **Class:** The Gamer - **Age:** 6

**Titles:**

**[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% proficiency learning Academy subjects and skills.)

**[Bookworm]** (+2 INT and WIS for every 50 books read from start to finish and +30% relations with the Sunagakure Library staff. Books read: 45)

**[Aspiring Fanboy]** (+15% proficiency learning Suna's fan arts.)

**[Aspiring Puppeteer]** (15% proficiency learning Suna's puppet arts.)

**[Apprentice Zombie Hunter]** (+15% attack and defense when in combat against Zombies.)

**Status:** Normal, +17.5% Evasion, and +8.07 DEF

**Level:** 17 - **EXP:** 30,054/48,850

**HP:** 1,061.3 - **HP Regen:** 43.07 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 1,258.3/2516.6 - **CP Regen:** 5.24 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 17 + (17 X .61) = 27.37

**VIT:** 33 + (33 X 1.61) = 86.13

**PE:** 113.5

**WIS:** 23 + (Meditation 17) + (40 X .31) = 52.4

**INT:** 32 + (Meditation 17) + (49 X .58) = 77.42

**SE:** 129.82

**DEX:** 26 + (Ambidextrous 19) + (45 X .97) = 88.65

**AGI:** 32 + (Sandals 4) + (36 X .94) = 69.84

**LUK:** 99

**Fame/Infamy:** 10/0

**Unspent points:** 0

**Money:** (72,000 Stipend) + (6,372,000 Zombie Hunting) + (10,000 Coin Purse) - (1,440 Toiletries) - (288,400 Milk) - (54,850 Books/Manuals) - (7,500 Weapon Sets) - (6,000 Writing Supplies) - (1,440 weapon re-sharpening) - (4,630 equipment) - (301 Food) = 6,102,439 Ryo

**Kaguya Genji is a paranoid reincarnated young man who desires money and power to guarantee his wishes. Such as his survival past the 4th Shinobi War and his mother's wellbeing.**

**He feels indebted to his mother Miya because she didn't throw him away after birth and tried her best to take care of him.**

**Genji is somewhat lazy, but his paranoia of the main characters failing to save the day is enough of a motivator for him to improve himself.**

**Currently, he's nearing Itachi's and Kakashi's power levels when they were at his current age. With the right training methods, skills, work ethic, and desire to improve himself for selfish reasons, he'll surpass all eventually.**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Just a reminder, Genji hasn't learned how to cast Genjutsu yet. He's only learned how to detect it and dispel it successfully from his mind. **[Gamer's Mind]** may prevent psychological status effects, but just 'Status' effects and not anything that trick the mind.

I'd like to thank everyone for pointing out my mistakes or things I forgot about. It helps me as writer when you do so as I'm more of reader than a writer, when I first started this story.

**Hexal:** I forgot about that detail of him carrying the heavy iron sand on him entirely. Thanks for pointing it out.

**Im Not Itachi**: You are certainly right about the Dead Bone Pulse cost and his skill level in Fan and Sword should be higher. I increased the Fan Mastery to level 17 and the Sword Mastery to level 12. And like I said with **Hexal**, I forgot about him carrying the heavy iron sand on him.

**NakedFury:** The hand signs were for adding flavor to the story and because he's still in school. Eventually, there'll be no hand signs as seen in the Anime where Genin level ninja don't use any hand signs for the Substitution Jutsu, even though there are 5 hand signs needed to do it.

**TheMany:** I forgot about **[Gamer's Mind]** preventing status effects on the mind. I've removed that from the chapter as it doesn't make sense that its maxed out on levels, yet didn't prevent the fear debuff. Thanks for pointing out my mistake.

**Capito Celcior:** The titles will stack as they're achievements. Until he reaches certain levels where he can equip more than two titles, he'll be stuck with one for now. I didn't write about him changing titles because the story would be too repetitive if you read 'Genji changes his title to something' 25+ times per chapter. So it's assumed he switches the titles automatically to fit the current task at hand.

**Will Genji use the Rasengan:** He'll eventually learn it, but will not use it in public until he sees Naruto perform it in front of him. He'll use it to practice Shape Manipulation and Chakra Control.

**Will there be romance in this story:** Well, it's not going to happen for a very long time as Genji is focused on gaining enough power to survive future events. Romance will not be a major element in this story, but it will play a very small part in it.

**Will I do the CRA(Clan Restoration Act) plot device seen in some other Naruto fics to give Genji a harem:** No, he'll just marry one lady and have lots of children with her to fulfill Rasa's request. Think of the Weasley family from Harry Potter, except he won't be financially poor.


	10. A Strict Teacher

**Disclaimer:** **Familiar characters and references you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: A Strict Teacher**

**April 3: Tuesday**

Today's the day I'll meet my personal teacher who'll show me what I need to do to graduate early. After waking up at 6:45 AM, I rubbed my eyes to see a new quest in front of me.

**Major Quest Alert!**

**Meet the Teacher!**

**The meeting will take place at the entrance of Training Ground 50.**

**Time Limit: **8:00 AM today and not a second over!

**Bonus Objective 1:** ?

**Bonus Objective 2**: ?

**Quest Reward: **+25 EXP.

**Bonus Quest Rewards:** 100 EXP per objective and increased relations with the teacher.

**Quest Failure: **Earn the Teacher's wrath and experience the Kazekage's ire firsthand.

Huh? There's some bonus objectives here, but they don't list what I'm supposed to do. Guess I'll find out when I finish the quest. Though I should save my game for now, wouldn't want to accidentally fail due to being late.

Pause. Save Data. Overwrite Save File 3.

**Do you want to overwrite '1st Meeting with Kazekage Rasa' with '1st Meeting with the Teacher'?**

Yes.

**Save Data**

**Save File 1: 1st Day of Life Mid-Tutorial**

**Save File 2: Becoming 3.5 Years Old**

**Save File 3: 1st Meeting with the Teacher**

Resume.

For breakfast I ate four simple onigiri and inspected myself making sure I had everything on my person and not in my inventory space. There's a high chance this teacher is going to be a Jonin and he'll catch that kind of discrepancy immediately.

Looking through the window to see the village, I saw the weather is windy and kicking up a lot of sand. For safety purposes and assuming there'll be a sandstorm today, I equipped my sandstorm goggles over my eyes and a purple Shemagh cloth covering my neck, mouth and nose. Not too tight but just enough to readjust when the sandstorm peters out.

Before I leave, let's do an equipment check to make absolutely sure I'm prepared.

Hip pouches with sealing scrolls, shuriken, and senbon? Check.

Canteen full of water? Double check.

Leg holsters full of kunai securely wrapped around my thighs? Got it.

Goggles and shemagh scarf for protection from the elements? Yep.

Enough food to sate my hunger around lunchtime inside a sealing scroll? Whoops, knew I was forgetting something.

Locking the door to my room, I traveled down the stairs and consumed a pint of milk to boost my VIT. Once at ground level, I activated **[Chakra Reinforcement]** and sprinted to my destination.

Soon, I arrived at the designated spot around 7:55 AM. Examining the area for my supposed teacher, the place is devoid of people so they might be running late.

What I found odd is that I haven't received the 'Quest Complete' alert, despite arriving before 8:00 AM. This means either the quest is still ongoing or I'll receive it at the specified time.

While waiting around for my mystery instructor, I noticed something unusual. I can clearly see the wind harshly blowing picking up a piece of trashy paper, but I couldn't feel the wind impacting against my skin.

Plus, I can't smell anything as well. I know for sure my scarf had a pleasantly clean scent, yet I can't detect it.

Probably allergies or something. Though it's more like I lost my sense of touch and smell. Huh?

Lost my sense? Isn't Genjutsu supposed to alter a person's five senses and other stuff? SHIT!

"Kai!" **-50 CP!**

"Kai!" **-50 CP!**

"Kai!" **-50 CP!**

Soon after disrupting my internal Chakra flow, my sense of touch and smell finally returned. Feeling that I'm still in danger, I quickly grabbed a kunai from my holster and settled into a battle ready stance.

Searching for the threat around me, I spotted a potential suspect five seconds later behind the public rest area building. It's a male ninja in their 50's and he's approaching me slowly.

**Demon Instructor**

**Level 170**

**Goro**

Is this guy going to be my new teacher? Let's check him out then. Observe.

**Name:** Goro

**Age:** 58

**Level:** 170

**Class:** Retired High-Jonin

**HP:** 6,300

**CP:** 12,925

**Titles:**

**[Experienced Veteran]** (+10% INT when fighting in war and +20% skill effects related to leadership skills.)

**A grizzled veteran who participated in the 2nd and 3rd Shinobi Wars battling and defending the border of Wind Country against the invading forces of Iwagakure. He's a well rounded assassin and a former Academy teacher who produced skilled graduates.**

**Goro's main philosophy is "A specialized ninja is a dead ninja" because his former teammates focused on one skill and paid the price with their lives. This became the driving principle behind his mindset of "Fulfill the Mission at all costs."**

**He has a stern personality when it comes to ninja training and will not hesitate to punish his students if they are wasting his time. While he's the best when it comes to teaching the Shinobi Arts, he was dismissed from the Ninja Academy due to his rigid teachings being too serious and physically harmful on young children.**

** He also rewards and praises students with positive reinforcement, should they exceed his expectations. Currently, he's not too happy being pulled out of his peaceful retirement and canceling his planned fishing trip to teach a young upstart. **

Isn't this guy older than the current Kazekage himself by many years? From this description alone, he's the kind of teacher I need. I tend to slack off sometimes without someone nipping or nagging on my heels.

And you know what? He's the fourth Jonin I've seen that's above level 140. So from the evidence I've seen before me, a Jonin is at least above level 100.

Though if I'm going to become Suna's first God of Shinobi, I'm going to have to ask my patron about it. Like what are the requirements, the baseline stats, and such?

To think for a moment that I thought nearly all high level ninjas of Suna sucked ass. My reasoning?

If Sasuke and Rock Lee as Genin can deal more damage to Gaara than all the dead Jonin of Suna, then what does that say about the quality Suna's ninjas? Once could say the village is poorly funded, inadequate resources, or that most of the population has a Wind affinity instead of Lightning.

Clearing my head of Suna's pathetic state, I examined Goro's overall appearance. He's wearing a cloth hat wrapped around his head, polarized black sunglasses, white scarf covering his mouth, and gray colored hair. A big gale blew through which exposed his gray scruffy beard and a face showing some wrinkles.

He walked with a wooden cane in his left hand and he's leaning on it a bit too much. Maybe he has some physical issues? Once he was close enough, the old Jonin started speaking in a stern no nonsense tone of voice.

"Not bad! Aren't you quite cautious? No. Not cautious, you're paranoid and that's what saved you right there."

"Most of the bratty academy students and older experienced ninjas fall for the double layered Genjutsu trick. They usually believe their opponents cast a single layered illusion to affect two senses, instead of two of them piled onto each other."

Well, it's not paranoia when I know Orochimaru is out to get my blood and body.

"After you disrupted you Chakra flow three separate times to break my illusions, you withdrew a weapon to immediately defend yourself. Despite reacting better than most of my former pupils and former comrades who stood still frozen like dummies, you failed in two critical areas."

"The first failure is your lack of awareness. You were so distracted on your way here that you didn't realize I was stealthily following right behind you for the past 30 minutes. The only time you reacted to my presence is when I used a Genjutsu and you actually felt endangered."

WHAT?! He stalked me from the forked road and I never noticed?

This issue needs to be resolved immediately. I'll search for a sensing skill on the Abyss Auction after I'm done here. Somebody might've seen me depositing items in my inventory space.

"If I was an enemy shinobi, you would've been dead! No ifs, ands, or buts about it. You need to develop the instinct to know when someone or something is secretly spying on you. However, this issue will be fixed today if and only if I decide it's worth my time and effort to teach you."

YES! I can save my money and spend it on something else noteworthy.

"The second failure is when dispelling a Genjutsu, try dispelling it silently. The main reason for this is so you'll be able to trick the enemy into thinking you are still under their control."

He's got a point there. I only yelled out kai because of the sudden danger to myself and no enemy in sight.

**Quest Complete!**

**+25 EXP!**

**Bonus Objective 1: [Detect the stalking old man] Failed!**

**Bonus Objective 2: [Silently dispel the Genjutsu] Failed!**

Before we do anything else, let's first start with introductions and then I'll lay down some important ground rules that you will follow. My name is Goro and you'll address me as Goro-sensei! Is that clear?!"

"Yes Goro-sensei!"

Damn he's loud for an old fart. If I didn't have **[Gamer's Mind]** to keep calm, I'd been unnerved and intimidated by his authoritative yelling.

"Should I continue teaching you, I expect you to arrive on time as well. If you're even a second late, I will punish you for wasting my precious time."

"Speaking of wasting my time, if I see or feel that you're not trying your best, then I'll quit instructing you on the spot. I'm getting too old for this kind of shit and was dragged out of my nice and quiet retirement just to teach you personally."

"You're allowed to ask any questions you have in mind as long as they're not stupid. Those who tell you there are no such things like stupid questions are idiots."

While I kept nodding to his demands, he kept pacing himself back and forth. Then he raised his cane at me in a dramatic fashion.

"Now with that over, I'm going to ask you a very important question. Are you prepared to graduate early and face the consequences?"

Consequences? Tilting my head a bit, I tried to think of any unexpected negatives this decision would bring.

Upon seeing my questioning look, Goro concluded I had no idea of what he's talking about.

"You see kid, you're planning on graduating early in a time of PEACE! By doing this, you'll bring the attention to yourself as a genius prodigy from the perspective of everyone else."

"Even if you pretend being stupid and pass the exam with 70%, the other villages will not fall for the ruse and believe you did that on purpose. They'll know because they can spot a deceptive plan like that a mile away."

So any plans of using a stupid façade to deceive others is off the table since they know I'm already smart? Guess I'll drop it and adopt a polite and humble genius personality.

Besides, nobody would trust me with anything if I continued playing the dumb card when everyone knows I'm not. Should've thought out my plans more thoroughly because of cause and effect.

"Whenever you go out on missions, you'll eventually be targeted by the other hidden villages. Whether they task their black-ops shinobi to either capture you to breed more bloodline users or kill you before you achieve your full potential."

"These are the main reasons of why nearly all Academy students stay at the Academy and graduate at the normal age of 12 years old. Tell me, are you willing to stake your life on the line and endure the increased risk of danger by graduating early? Take your time to think about it and give me your answer."

Sorry Goro, I know you want me to decline so you'll go on your fishing trip, but I'm going through with it. I'm already in danger due to my bloodlines and my enemy is Orochimaru.

I need all the help I can get to actually survive any encounter with him unharmed and it'll only happen if I get out of the slow and steady Academy.

Now how to word my response to improve my relations and receive his approval? Since he's a no nonsense type of guy, it's best to answer in a direct manner and not beat around the bush.

"After thinking it over, I'm still going to do it. I'm not naïve like my classmates thinking it's all fun and games, it's a dangerous profession."

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to graduate early. Even if I have to endure painful or boring methods to withstand any future dangers that comes from my choice."

**Your relationship with Goro has increased by 5!**

"Wonderful! And I thought I had to waste more time trying to beat the fun and games mindset out of you, since you're still a kid. Come along now, I need to see firsthand what I'm going to have to work with.

**Quest Alert!**

**Show your moves!**

**Goro will ask you to do various tasks and you'll do your best to give a decent showing.**

**Quest Reward: **Temporary Title **[Goro's Pupil]** and 1,000 EXP.

**Quest Failure:** Goro will not teach you and you'll receive the Kazekage's ire

Arriving at the weapon's range, Goro raised his cane and pointed at a nearby log.

"We're going to start with weapons, since you're actually smart enough to bring your ninja tools with you. I want you to stand 25 feet away from this log and throw ten of each weapon type on your person at the bull's eye target. But, I want you to alternate your throwing hand after five weapons to see you good you are with both hands."

Obeying his order, I grabbed some kunai and chucked them with my right hand one at a time towards the target. After throwing five kunai with my right hand, I threw another five with my left.

Then I repeated this process again for shuriken and senbon. Some of my weapons landed dead center, others grouped in the second to third inner rings, and a few completely missed the log.

"Hmmmm. You're better than average in this subject, although your aiming with senbon needs more work. Go and pick up all your weapons and return back to where I'm standing."

Soon after policing the area making sure I got all the weapons I spent my money on, I came back to the position Goro wanted. From where I'm standing, I'm looking at the target log at a diagonally around 30ish feet away.

"Alright, your next test is to test your accuracy while moving. I want you to run in a straight line parallel to the logs and throw your weapon once your perpendicular to the log. You will continue running to the marker and come back from the other direction to where your standing now."

"You'll repeat this exercise this exercise 30 times and what you did earlier by throwing five weapons from each hand. This is very important to work on in the future because your enemy will not stand still and let you hit them."

While doing this exercise, it reminded me of an activity I once did in gym class. Running from one end of the gym to the other and repeating it several times.

Only this time, I'm throwing weapons when I reach the halfway point of the metaphorical gym. When it's all said and done, I wasn't too please with my performance.

Half of my weapons missed the log completely which was mostly the senbon. Those are going to be a pain in the ass to locate in the sand. A third of them landed on the log itself, but nowhere on the target. The remainder was scattered all over the bull's eye target.

"At least you landed half of your weapons. You'll need to improve your throwing skills to achieve at least an 80% accuracy with both hands, moving or standing still. Only then can you move onto moving targets."

"Go collect your weapons and then meet me over at the urban environment."

Around 15 minutes later, I waited for Goro's next set of instructions.

"Now I'm going to test your Chakra control. Show me all the control exercises and Jutsu you know so far."

So I demonstrated to him **[Paper-Sticking]**, **[Sand-Sticking]**, **[Chakra Reinforcement]**, **[Rock-Climbing]**, **[Sand-Walking]**, **[Chakra Threads]**, and the basic Academy Jutsu.

"Good! Your skill-set is better than the kids with shinobi parents, but it's still not good enough to pass the exam! Next up is your physical examination. First do some stretches and then I'll proceed to the next task."

**[Flexibility]'s level has risen by 1!**

"Done? Okay then, I want you to do 50 pushups, 50 sit-ups, 50 squats, 50 side by side jumps, and 20 laps along the ground's inner perimeter WITHOUT using Chakra to increase your running speed."

"Well? What are you standing around for?! Drop down and give me 50!"

**2 Hours Later, 11:30 AM**

After I finished running through the required exercises, I took a moment to rest. During my perimeter run, Goro yelled "Pick up the pace", "Hurry up already", or "I'm not getting any younger waiting here!" With the way he yelled, I thought he'd bust a gut or blood vessel." Though I ignored him mostly because I went into the Options menu and listened to the BGM.

"Finally you're done. Did you know each lap is half a mile long, meaning you ran a total distance of ten miles? A freshly graduated Genin needs to be able to run at least ten times that amount and still be able to put up a fight."

Huh? So that's one baseline I need to strive for. I'll need to make sure I have enough VIT and AGI to satisfy that condition.

But it's not all that bad. I gained **+1 STR**, **VIT**, and **AGI** during the physical exercise.

"Now follow me to the public rest building to test your theoretical knowledge via practice written exams. Did you think you'll get a break by sitting around and do absolutely nothing for 30 minutes? Not a chance in hell!"

Along the way, I withdrew a pen from my inventory because I didn't expect to do anything written for the day. Inside the lounge, we both took a seat and Goro handed me some written exams.

Glancing at each problem on the test pages, it covered several subjects. Trigonometry, word math problems, survival knowledge, general knowledge, geography, and a strategic scenario.

Checking the scenario problem, the task is to sneak into the target's bedroom located in a mansion. Use the floor plan to figure out the best and efficient way to get in without being spotted.

Examining the plans for several seconds, the answer for me is to sneak through the guest bedroom's window because that area had fewer guards.

Upon finishing the exam, Goro took the test papers from me and started grading it. While he was grading it, he told me to eat my lunch and I withdrew some of the takeout I ordered yesterday from my sealed storage scroll.

Today's lunch is four beef shigureni onigiri, two simple onigiri, two kibi dango sets, and water. Once done, I had to clean myself of the sticky food stuck to my hands in the bathroom.

By the time I stepped out, Goro finished grading the exams and looked at me. Feeling his piercing gaze, I thought I screwed up somewhere and he told me the reason.

Goro announced to me, "Your overall score is 60%. Your theoretical knowledge in math, geography, strategic scenarios, and general knowledge is decent. However, you failed miserably in survival knowledge."

"You answered that the Castor Bean, Century Plant, Foxglove, Pothos, and Candelabras Cactus are edible. Which is all wrong because they're all poisonous to eat!"

"Moving on, we're going outside to test your Taijutsu prowess."

The both of us stood up and I followed him to the empty portion of the training field.

Soon he told me to stay where I am and then pushed his cane hard into the ground so it'll remain standing. He next used some hand seals rapidly and I heard him say "Sand Clone Jutsu."

Right in front of me, a large clump of sand gathered around and formed into a large mass. It gradually transformed into a clone of Goro matching his appearance. Observe.

**Goro's Sand Clone**

**HP:** 4,725

**CP:** 1,000

**An exact replica of Goro made of condensed sand. The clone will repair itself of any damage taken at the cost of some its CP.**

Reading the clone's stats, Goro coughed to clear his voice and gain my attention.

"You're going to spar for five minutes with my Sand Clone and I want you to defeat it. The clone will not attack and will be focused entirely on defense. I will stand on the side acting as a referee and commentator. Begin!"

**5:00**

**4:59**

Hearing the clone will not attack at all, I launched an all out offense at it and activated **[Chakra Reinforcement]**. Goro never mentioned I couldn't use it after all. Using a one two punch toward the stomach, the clone blocked each hit.

**-55.64 HP! ****-55.64 HP!**

"You need to mix up your attacks! You'll become predictable and vulnerable if you only punch your enemy."

Hearing his advice, I included some feints with my jabs though the clone never fell for my tricks. Knowing this is a test to show my moves, I used every Academy kata form and attack I know of to kill the clone.

Jab. **-55.64 HP!**

One-two punch. **-55.64 HP!** **-65.32 HP!**

Liver blow. **CRITICAL!** **-104.34 HP!**

High kick. **-65.32 HP!**

A right elbow empowered by **[Power Strike]**. **CRITICAL! -236.62 HP!**

Checking the time again which is 1:00, I became a bit frustrated that I'm not dealing enough damage to pop the clone by the time limit. It was then I remembered the clone is an exact replica of Goro himself and it said so in the description itself.

Instead of focusing my attacks everywhere, I concentrated attacking the clone's left side and used **[Power Strike]** on every blow.

**CRITICAL! -236.62 HP! CRITICAL! -236.62 HP! ****CRITICAL!** **-104.34 HP!**

Though what surprised me is hearing the real Goro encouraging me due to my choice of tactics.

"Wonderful! You've noticed my clone is an exact copy which also has some of my physical deficiencies and exploiting that weakness. Remember kid, we're not Samurai. Shinobi don't need to fight with 'Honor' or any of that 'Chilvalry' trash."

Upon feeling he's okay with what I'm doing, I started using below the belt tactics to win. Targeting the groin, clinches, grabs, and tossing sand into a sand clone's eyes.

**CRITICAL! -236.62 HP! ****-65.32 HP! -65.32 HP! -1 HP!**

Though tossing the sand might have been the dumbest thing I've done because the clone is made out of sand. Unfortunately, I failed to pop the clone in five minutes.

Then I heard clapping noises and Goro stated, "Your performance is acceptable, even though you didn't beat the clone. You only need to learn the Advance kata forms of the Academy Taijutsu and more sparring experience with skilled enemies.

"I have made my decision! I will accept the Kazekage's offer to train you for a duration of one year and prepare you for an early graduation. You have the potential to go far kid."

**Quest Complete!**

**You've gained +1,000 EXP!**

**Ding!**

**Goro has accepted you as his pupil!**

**Gained Title: **Goro's Pupil

**Effects:** Grants +2 STR, +5 VIT, +6 INT, +3 WIS, +4 DEX, and +4 AGI permanently for each full month under Goro's regiment. +30% proficiency learning Academy subjects and skills.

Did I just read the effects correctly? Permanent points? So in addition to increasing my stats doing whatever, I'll also get a guarantee stat boost every month? I'll do it!

**Major Quest Alert!**

**Training under Goro**

**Goro will train you so you'll be ready to graduate from the Academy next year.**

**Objectives**

**1: **Achieve an 80% accuracy rate on throwing ninja tools.

**2: **Achieve an 85% average score on written practice exams.

**3: **Defeat Goro's Sand Clone in a Taijutsu spar as it imitates an Academy graduate's power level.

**Bonus Objectives**

**1:** Learn and use a D-ranked Genjutsu.

**2:** Be able to use the three Basic Academy Jutsu without creating smoke.

**3:** Reach **Level: MAX** in **[Advanced Suna Taijutsu]**.

**4:** Reach **Level: 30** in **[Throwing Mastery]**.

**Quest Rewards: **500 EXP per objective and 1,000 EXP per bonus objective.

**Quest Failure:** 100 EXP and decreased relations with both Goro and the Kazekage.

"By the time I'm through with you, you'll pass the exam with a minimum score of 85%. Basically, I'm going to pound six to seven years of learning material into one year into your mind. You do know what this means right?"

After posing the question to me, his smile turned sinister and now I'm not sure I'm going to like what he's about to reveal. His expression promised pain in some shape or form.

"No pain, no gain?", I reply hoping it's the right answer.

"NOPE! It means you'll be getting homework. Lots and lots of homework."

While I looked calm and indifferent from the teacher's perspective, I was cursing and groaning at the thought of additional homework. Goro's smirk disappeared and then continued onto his lecture.

"To start off today's lessons, I'm going to teach you how to flare your Chakra also called the 'Chakra Flare'. During the Desert Survival test portion, you will either use this technique or fire off a signal flare to alert the observing shinobi you need help or would like to withdraw."

"But I'm teaching you this, so you'll improve your Chakra control. The Chakra Flare is a skill where you surge or flare your Chakra outside your body like a beacon to alert everyone within a certain radius. It's basically a "I'm over here" signal and the downside is it'll alert enemies to your location."

"This technique is used to send coded messages and orders to allies over a distance without speaking out loud. With enough skill, you can control the flare so only allies can feel the pulse."

So it's basically the chakra version of Morse code messages. Okay then.

"Of course, you'll still be detected if the enemy has a sensory type ninja around. Here's how to do the technique. It's basically the sending a Chakra pulse out from your body."

With Goro's tutelage, **[Goro's Pupil]**, and adjusting my Chakra output, I eventually received a message from the system.

**Ding!**

** A new skill has been created to communicate with allies and enemies alike using Chakra to send patterned coded messages.**

**Chakra Flare (Passive/Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A technique which alerts everyone who has trained with Chakra within a certain radius of your current location. ****Attaining a higher level will allow you to alert only your allies, instead of enemies.**

**+1% INT**

**+Flat CP Cost: 10 per attempt.**

**+Current Radius: 10 Meters**

"Since you've learned the skill, you need to practice this particular coded message. This message is "Help me" and is done by flaring your Chakra three times, pause for two seconds, and pulse three times again."

**-10 CP! -10 CP! ****-10 CP!**

**[Chakra Flare]'s level has risen by 1!**

**-10 CP! -10 CP! -10 CP! ****-10 CP!**

**[Chakra Flare]'s level has risen by 1!**

**30 Minutes Later**

After 30 minutes of practice, I raised **[Chakra Flare]**'s level to five. Soon enough, Goro moved onto his next lesson plan.

"Do you know how to cast a Genjutsu?"

"No Goro-sensei, I only know how to detect and dispel Genjutsu."

"Then I'll give you basic recap of what it is first and explain how to cast one. Do not be discouraged if you cannot use it, because it means you're lacking Chakra Control."

"Genjutsu is an illusionary technique that assaults some or all of a person's senses like vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and others. It's a very useful skill to distract or deceive opponents. One example is tricking a person's body into believing it's experiencing physical pain."

"In simple terms, think of mental effects occurring inside a person's mind. This branch of Jutsu requires low amounts of Chakra, but requires near perfect Chakra control."

"To cast a Genjutsu successfully, you inject your Chakra into the target's Chakra flow via a medium and control their central nervous system. These mediums can vary such as eye contact, Chakra pulses, physical contact, sound, smell, and more. But that's only the first step of the equation."

"The second step is to trap the person in the Genjutsu and this requires you to retain control of their nervous system. If you don't do this, then the illusion will instantly dissipate. For example, if you use a sound like music, then the illusion will be maintained for as long as you keep playing music."

"Another analogy is a transmitter and a receiver. The caster is the transmitter, their Chakra pulse is the signal, and implant their Chakra somehow inside the target's nerve system like a receiver."

"Because you're just starting out, we'll make do with something simple like eye contact. Try pulsing your Chakra outwards and using your eyes as a medium to cast the Genjutsu to manipulate one sense. Let your imagination decide what kind of illusion I should see and I'll tell you if it's working or not."

Checking the area around me for inspiration, I chose to make an illusion of my hair being bright yellow. My other idea was to make my shadow act autonomous like a separate entity, but Goro said to do something simple. In other words, Keep It Simple Stupid!

Following Goro's instructions, I pulsed my Chakra towards him while focusing on what I want him to see.

**-10 CP!**

"Nope! Try again!"

**-5 CP!**

"Though I did say Genjutsu uses a low amount of Chakra, that's not enough to take hold. Use more Chakra in your pulses."

**-30 CP!**

"Not quite!"

**-45 CP!**

"Again!"

**-50 CP!**

**Ding!**

** A skill has been created using illusions to mess around with a person's senses.**

**Genjutsu Mastery (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Illusionary based techniques using trickery, illusions, and deception to manipulate the senses of your enemies. ****Depending on the user's creative imagination and WIS stat, one can use more complex Genjutsu.**

**-In addition, the connection between the user and the affected target(s) has to be maintained in order for the illusion(s) to trap them.**

**+Activation Cost: ? CP**

**+Maintenance Cost: 100 CP per minute.**

**+Genjutsu will last .3 extra seconds after failing to maintain the interfacing connection.**

**+Decreases casting time by .95%**

***Cost will vary depending on the number of targets, area of effect size, and the number of senses being tricked.***

"Is your illusion trying to make me think I'm seeing bright yellow hair instead of your natural hair color?", inquired Goro.

Nodding to his question, he said, "Since you managed to succeed, then it's up to you to practice by experimenting on stray animals or me during our training sessions. Kai!"

"Do not use it on any civilians here because the village can't handle any more financial pressure due to decreased clientele. Not to mention another cause of terror."

He tried whispering the last sentence, but I still heard him and knew he's talking about Gaara.

"Before I dismiss you for today, it's time for you to develop your natural instinct and learn how to sense someone's presence. Follow me to the urban environment."

For the remainder of my time with Goro, we played his version of hide and seek and Where's Waldo. Yes, I'm serious about him using those two games to develop my sixth sense of knowing when someone is spying on me.

Our games basically played out like this. I'd close my eyes counting to ten and Goro will hide somewhere in the pseudo-village. My purpose is to seek him and while I walk around, Goro will stalk me without any hostile intent.

When I believe to have found him after feeling his gaze, I have to loudly say the specific location of his hiding spot. If I messed up, then I had to do 25 pushups as punishment.

The beginning rounds started off easy where I found him hiding behind a dumpster, telephone pole, alley, and one time right behind me. After finding him four times, I managed to learn the sensing skill I needed.

**Ding!**

** A skill has been created to passively detect those secret hidden admirers stalking you.**

**Sense Presence (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-You instinctually know the number of living beings around or actively stalking you with unknown intentions and their general location. **

**+Current Radius: 10 Meters**

Once Goro knew I gained some sensing ability, the game gradually increased in difficulty. The locations I found him are behind a corner, second story window, and on a veranda.

By the time our training session came to an end, I leveled **[Sense Presence]** to level three.

"Stop! It's 4:00 PM and we've reached the end of today's session. So here's what your training schedule is going to be."

"You'll meet me here at 8:00 AM every weekend, which means both Saturday and Sunday. Whenever you're on vacation like a school break or a day off like a holiday, then you'll meet me here on those days. Since you're currently on your Spring Break, you'll meet me everyday until school starts back up on April 10."

"So it's time for some homework that'll be due tomorrow morning. Here's a written exam from several years ago and I want you to do your best to answer them all. While these questions may not appear on the graduation exam, it'll help prepare you should Academy faculty decided to place it on there."

"I'll also quiz you on various subject material to make sure you actually know and understand the education subjects. Should you make less than 70% on this homework, then punishment awaits."

Geh! The way he said that in an ominous voice sounds like something I need to avoid at all costs.

Flipping the pages of the take home practice exam, there are logic puzzles, arithmetic, and such on it. DAMNIT! I escape math from my previous life only for it to follow me into the next one.

"Do you have any questions before I leave today?"

Questions? Hmm, well there's strength training but I don't know how early it's okay to do it. Might as well ask.

"Goro-sensei, what's the earliest age I can safely start weight and strength training?"

"Well that depends on if the child is actually mature enough to follow directions and properly practice techniques and forms safely. Most injuries are caused by using too much weight with improper technique or poor form such as idiots starting off with heavy weights right off the bat."

"I'll allow you to begin weight and strength training as long as you follow my exact instructions. Can you agree to that? Because I believe you are mature enough despite your young age."

"Yes, I'll do it Goro-sensei!"

"Since you agreed, then you better do it as I don't like quitters or whiners for that manner. The maximum weight you can add onto your body is 20 pounds. But I already see you've gotten a head start and a creative application of your bloodline."

Whoops, he easily caught me. Nothing gets by him as expected of a Jonin.

"How long have you been wearing those and how much they weigh in total?"

"One month and 20 pounds."

When my Chakra reserves surpassed 2,000 points some time ago, I had to find a different way to carry it on my person. There was simply too much of the black powder to store in my pockets.

So I fashioned my **[AISD]** into the form of wrist and ankle weights with each wearing 5 pounds each. As a reward for my creative use of my ability, I received +1 WIS for hiding my ability in plain sight.

For the rest of the Iron Sand I had left, I compressed it into a cube and deposited inside my inventory. I was rewarded with another +1 WIS for thinking of an alternative solution to hiding the excess powder.

"You will not exceed 20 pounds until I say it's okay for you to do so. Whenever there's a physical education class held during a school day, then I want you to do at triple of whatever the amount the teacher says to do. If the amount is below 50 reps, then you'll do a minimum of 50 reps of the physical exercises."

"Remember! Finish your homework by tomorrow morning. You're dismissed!"

Immediately, Goro body flickered away and I sprinted back to the dorm. I could see why they made him quit from his Academy Teacher position, but being a shinobi isn't fun and games.

Technically it's a game for me, but I'm not going to mention it out loud or spill the beans to anyone.

Making it back to the dorm in time for dinner, I washed the dishes and departed for the library. Along the way, I dropped by Tetsuya's workshop to re-sharpen my Sousou Poison Dagger and all of my throwing weapons.

He told me my total is 4,100 Ryo and it'll be ready for pickup by tomorrow. After paying half there and promising to pay the other half when he's done, I left to go to the library.

I have enough time to get the necessary books and finish the test before the library closes at 9:00 PM.

* * *

**April 4: Wednesday**

Today I gave Goro the completed take home test and he made me do 51 reps of yesterday's exercises. When I finished the entire routine, he told me I scored 75%.

He then ordered me to show him the Academy's beginner and intermediate katas. Once I finished the last kata, he nodded his head in approval and deemed me ready to learn the next set of katas.

After watching him go through the entire set of advanced forms, I received an alert from the system.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created through a special act and meeting the necessary requirements!**

**[Intermediate Suna Taijutsu] LV: MAX has evolved into [Advanced Suna Taijutsu]**

**Advanced Suna Taijutsu (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-The final tier of the Suna Academy's Taijutsu style that shinobi of Suna can learn. ****This style has been refined over the years so specialized Suna-nin like puppeteers and fan users aren't completely defenseless in melee.**

**+21% DEX and AGI using this style.**

For the rest of the day, he split today's lesson between me practicing the Academy's advanced katas and biological information of various plants in the desert.

Thankfully, he didn't assign any homework today and told me to improve my Taijutsu. One I finished the dishes, I picked up my newly repaired dagger and tested it's damage on the zombies.

**Ding!**

** A new skill has been created for freely wielding daggers.**

**Dagger Mastery (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Enables the user to wield daggers and or small knives effectively and efficiently in close combat. Bonus effects only apply when wielding the weapons mentioned previously.**

**+10% attack power and +5% attack speed.**

**+1% decreased damage when blocking enemy attacks.**

Once I learned **[Dagger Mastery]**, I returned my dagger back into my inventory and trained my **[Advanced Suna Taijutsu]** and **[Genjutsu Mastery]** skills.

* * *

**April 7: Saturday**

For some reason, Goro has been increasing my workout regimen. Currently, I'm doing 54 reps and I'm curious if he's going to increase my rep count for each training session.

When I finished the entire workout, he told me to take a 30 minute break which I gladly did. Feeling thirsty, I went to public rest area to buy a drink from the vending machines.

Viewing the current options, they're all refrigerated and cost 2.50 Ryo each. I paid 3 Ryo to the machine and chose a fruit punch drink.

After picking up my drink, I grabbed my change and notice 1 Ryo instead of the usual change. Guess somebody forgot their change and I know for sure it wasn't me. Finders keepers then.

**You gained +1 LUK for finding some leftover change!**

**Ding!**

** Your Luck stat has reached 100 and some**** new skills have been created for this occasion!**

**Collector's Luck (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-There's a 33% bonus chance of items and or random drops appearing after [The Gamer] defeats an enemy in battle. This skill also boosts the success of [Thievery] by 10% and discovering useful items by 25%.**

**Jutsu Lottery (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-Defeating a shinobi in combat will result with an additional random drop of ONE randomized Jutsu skill scroll deposited straight into your inventory. **

**+The Jutsu? Whatever the shinobi you defeated currently knows.**

Are these two skills actually encouraging me to fight? Though this will make fighting more worth the effort and I'll have a slightly easier time finding any useful items as the bazaar.

If I keep investing in luck, maybe I'll receive a skill that'll mess up the enemy like they slip on something? Or their Jutsu blows up in their face by messing up a hand seal? Think of the all trolling possibilities if actually happens.

Mwahahahahaaa! The one stat to rule them all, Luck!

But I'll have to test out **[Jutsu Lottery]** and see how it works. Such as if I defeat Goro when he's imitating a graduate's power level, then will I receive a Jutsu?

Will I be rewarded even if it's a practice spar? Does the reward still apply if my opponent is a clone?

Guess I'll find out when school starts back up again.

* * *

**April 8: Sunday**

Today's lesson with Goro is all about memorizing information in a timely manner. So he tested me with several memory drills and exercises to complete in the village itself and not on the training grounds.

The both of us will walk into random stores or public places and I'll look at all the people there. Goro would then question me on random details and information about those people. And of course, failure to answer correctly results in a punishment which is enough of a motivator to not fail.

"Inside the public park, how many children were playing tag?"

"Umm, four Goro-sensei!"

"Good! Was the old lady inside the clothing store carrying anything?"

"She carried two plastic grocery bags and they're colored white."

**You gained +1 INT for studying the numerous details of people and answering correctly!**

"Correct! How many male adults are sitting at the café across the street outside?"

"There's eight sitting around the tables Goro-sensei!"

"WRONG! There's nine men. You forgot about the rule that anyone with headband on is counted as an adult. This means you'll have to do ten push-ups when we return to training grounds later on."

During our stroll in the village honing my memorization skills, there would be some shinobi in their early twenties and late twenties giving me looks of sympathy. Others were shocked that Goro of all people came out of retirement and is actively teaching again.

But I didn't care as I was more focused on not getting any other questions wrong and increasing my punishment. I already have to do ten... Make that 20 push-ups when we get back to Training Grounds 50.

* * *

**April 10: Tuesday**

It's the start of a brand new school year and Maki is teaching us the same usual subjects. Knowing her, she's probably going to pair me with Kankuro again and he'll whine about me beating his ass.

If there's any proof of the butterfly effect, then he'll be my first example. Due to me defeating him repeatedly and Kankuro being a sore loser, his Taijutsu has improved.

It's not exceptional, but if he keeps this up, then he won't be absolutely useless if his puppets are destroyed. When it became time to spar with our fellow classmates, I heard Maki announce the following.

"Gather around class, it's time for some Taijutsu matches. To start off today's sparring, it's Genji versus Shira!"

Huh?

**Quest Alert!**

**Defeat Aspiring Taijutsu Prodigy Shira**

**Because you've defeated Kankuro multiple times, Maki has paired you with Shira to prevent you from getting a big ego.**

**Quest Reward: **+500 EXP and increased relations with the class for exceeding expectations.

**Quest Failure: **+50 EXP

So I'm actually going to fight against Suna's version of Rock Lee? Alright then. Observe.

**Name:** Shira

**Level:** 14

**Class:** Ninja Academy Student

**HP:** 1,375

**CP:** 1,700

**Titles:**

**[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% increase in proficiency towards learning academy subjects and skills)

**A hardworking observational academy student who can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu and suffers ridicule and scorn from most of his classmates. Despite this shortcoming, he's a proud humble boy that never blames others for his failures and only true determination will lead to success.**

**He's under intense scrutiny from the teachers and board of education to show results or face expulsion soon, but remains calm and level headed in the face of pressure. He's very loyal to those he considers allies and friends and hopes to become a ninja with Taijutsu alone.**

Uh oh. It's a Rock Lee clone alright.

I see a 60% chance of losing this match assuming Shira dedicated all his time honing his Taijutsu. He's two years older than me and has the reach advantage.

A quick glance at my classmates and I can already see them agreeing how even a supposed genius like me is no match for Shira. Some claimed the match might result in a draw. I even saw Kankuro hiding his smirk knowing I'll lose.

As we both walk into the fighting ring, everyone is silent and the tension is mounting. My opponent is calm and I know he won't make any mistakes.

It'll be a waste of effort to taunt him cause he deals with adversity head on everyday without complaint, unlike Kankuro. I gave myself a 40% chance because of my higher than average VIT, DEX, and AGI.

But it's just a false sense of security for me to believe in, since I don't know the baseline stats of a freshly graduated Genin. One would think my **[Observe]** skill should display their stats, but it doesn't. Maybe it has to be maxed out, because identifying a target with a partial biography is overpowered?

I've seen Shira's Taijutsu and I know he's going to use a lot of punches, parries, and some kicks mixed in. The only way I can think of now in order to win is to stick to what I know. Wait for the right time to counterstrike, even if I have to tank some hits.

"Both of you make the seal of confrontation. Ready? Then begin!"

Right from the start, the two of us charged towards each other. Once we were within one foot of each other, I stopped my forward momentum and threw a compact left handed jab to see how he'll respond.

To my dismay, he quickly reacted by using his right forearm to parry which hit my wrist leaving my left side wide open. He then followed his parry with a rising uppercut, but I avoided the hit that would definitely been a critical.

Confirming that he's better in Taijutsu from what I've seen, I wait for Shira to attack me instead. For extra security, I put my guard up before he made his move.

Soon after three seconds, he gets in close and attacks with a right straight. Seeing the opportunity to cause some damage to him, I threw my own right straight into fist.

To increase my chances of winning this exchange, I used **[Power Strike]** to increase the damage. Our two fists collide and both of us received damage upon impact.

**-53.6 HP! -73.41 HP! **

Fortunately for me, my damage output exceeded his which surprised Shira. Hmm, he must have **[Physical Endurance]** and or defensive items to reduce my damage by 17 points.

Checking his facial reaction, he's determined to win this match. Not to put me in my place, but because it's his specialty.

He shook his hand to get rid of the pain, while I just waited for **[Gamer's Body]** to make mine disappear after a few seconds. With my guard back up, I become surprised when he came charging at me with a sudden speed boost.

To counteract this, I used **[Chakra Reinforcement]** and barely sidestepped his right front kick. Since he's standing on one leg, I tried a low kick to his ankles to knock him off balance.

Unfortunately, he hopped away at the last second and lashed out with another front kick. Jumping to my side a bit, I realized too late that his kick is a feint.

So I paid the price and received a solid punch to my stomach.

**CRITICAL! -96.05 HP! **

Gaah! Refocusing on Shira, I let him attack me and waited for an opening to take advantage of.

**-53.6 HP! ****-53.6 HP!** **-53.6 HP! **

Soon I found the opening I was looking for. Shira overextended his right straight and this opportunity screamed to me "Chance!"

Using the height difference between us, I ducked underneath his punch and retaliated with my right handed straight to his stomach boosted with **[Power Strike]**.

**-123.73 HP!**

From that point on, the two of us exchanged blows. For every four or five strikes I received, I returned one empowered punch with **[Power Strike]** to him.

Duck. Kick. Block. Hop. Block.

**-53.6 HP!**

Damn, got hit again! Parry the punch and strike his stomach again. Tch, he blocked my strike again.

"Stop! The winner of this spar is Shira! Good work to the both of you and make the seal of reconciliation. Genji, you need to work on your reaction speed and reflexes. You received a lot of hits, but managed to give Shira some damage."

"Shira, you're prodigious in Taijutsu as always. There's not much to say, except keep up your training on the basic academy three and Ninjutsu in general. Next up is Daimaru vs Ittetsu!"

**Quest Failed!**

**Gained +50 EXP!**

**[Advanced Suna Taijutsu]'s level has risen by 1!**

Oh well, there's always next time. That was the most challenging fight I've had so far. He is indeed Suna's version of Rock Lee.

"Hah! Not so invincible are you?! Your just like everyone else, a human."

Looking to who said that, I see Kankuro with a sneer like the typical arrogant young master one usually reads about in Chinese novels. Time to bring that smile of his and flip it upside down.

I shift into a thinking pose and I declare out loud, "Well that's to be expected, since most of the spars I'm in usually involves beating you up. Could you please remind me of what's our current record?"

Continuing my trash talking, I pose with my hand next to my ear and said "I'm waiting Kankuro. What's the match record between us?"

**Your relations with Kankuro has decreased by 5!**

Pausing for a moment, I then pound my right fist into my open left palm and exclaim, "Never mind, I remember! It's 20 wins and 0 losses, whenever your my sparring partner. It's no wonder I'm not achieving my full potential."

**Your relations with Kankuro has decreased by 10!**

**[Speech]'s level has risen by 1!**

Reminding him of our current match history, his sneering shifted into an enraged face which brought a smile to my own. I could've said my opponent was two years older than me, but that excuse just wouldn't fly with him.

Moving back with my other classmates, I ignored his brooding and mumbling as I watched the spars happening now.

While watching the class clown Daimaru get the crap kicked out him, I asked myself 'What do I need to do to improve'?

Don't think about my moves too much because some attacks are fast enough that there's not enough time to think. This means I have to raise my DEX due to it affecting attack speed.

Now that I think about it, which stat affects a person's reaction speed? Is it DEX or AGI? Better write it down as one of several questions to ask my patron.

Since Shira is going to become Suna's future Taijutsu Master, then it's best make friends with him and have more sparring sessions with him. I'll level up **[Advanced Suna Taijutsu]**, **[Taijutsu Mastery]**, and **[Physical Endurance]** faster with him than Kankuro.

It's well known around here about Kankuro trying to specialize in Puppetry and Taijutsu is a puppeteer's main weakness. Sure the Advanced Academy Taijutsu helps, but it only does so much since they dedicate more time with puppets than physical activities.

That's it, I'm going to do it! I'll ask Shira for future Taijutsu spar sessions after school ends.

A quick glance at Shira who is calmly watching the spars with an impassive face, I noticed two female students nearby staring at him in admiration. One of them is even blushing. Heh, he already has a fangirl pining for him.

**Aspiring Medic**

**Level 14**

**Yome**

**Genjutsu Girl**

**Level 14**

**Sen**

Hmm, I don't even know who they are considering I spent most of my time improving myself than socializing with my classmates. Observe.

**Name:** Yome

**Level:** 14

**Class:** Ninja Academy Student

**HP:** 1,205

**CP:** 2,275

**Titles:**

**[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% increase in proficiency towards learning academy subjects and skills)

**A kind young girl who admires Shira, after she and Sen witnessed his determination and drive to train by himself and hone his Taijutsu by training against a boulder. She has a crush on Shira dreaming to be his bride in the future and easily blushes red when anybody or her best friend Sen point it out.**

**As of recently, both she and Sen have started playing, training, and hanging out with Temari. Yome has a unique dojutsu that allows her to see very far.**

Hmm, she's like Hinata. Observe.

**Name:** Sen

**Level:** 14

**Class:** Ninja Academy Student

**HP:** 1,175

**CP:** 2,220

**Titles:**

**[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% increase in proficiency towards learning academy subjects and skills)

**A kind and collected girl who admires Shira for his determination and perseverance to succeed, despite the odds set against him. She loves teasing her best friend Yome on her crush Shira.**

**She's currently learning about desert plants as her family owns a cactus nursery business and wants to try creating Genjutsu using cactuses. As of recently, both she and Yome have started playing, training, and hanging out with Temari.**

Sen seems like the budding Genjutsu mistress for Suna or this village's version of Kurenai. By becoming good friends with Shira, I can become a friendly acquaintance with her.

I can get some tips and tricks to level up **[Genjutsu Mastery]** and ask her to use me as a guinea pig to grind my **[Detect and Dispel Genjutsu]** skill. All for the purpose of preparing myself against my future Uchiha opponents and their overpowered-hax eyes.

Eventually the sparring matches finished and we moved onto obstacle course training. By the time Maki-sensei declared school over, I took the initiative to speak with Shira before he left and got too far away from me.

Hopefully, he'll agree to my request for sparring sessions outside of school hours. Preferably after 5:00 on the weekends because the time before is for Goro.

"Shira!"

Shira turned around to see who called him and became surprised it's me. He watched me with a puzzled look wondering what my intentions with him are.

"I learned a lot from our spar as it was challenging compared to my usual opponent. If you'd like, maybe we can spar again whenever you're available? No Ninjutsu or Genjutsu tricks, just pure Taijutsu."

Shira looked surprised I was actually talking to him and that somebody wanted to train together with him in Taijutsu. Was the bullying and sneers by our peers affecting him that severely that he stayed silent and dealt with it?

"Really?! You're not upset you lost against me?", asked Shira with an uneven tone I can't tell if he's happy or annoyed with my request. Or maybe I'm seeing disbelief that somebody actually wants to hang out with him?

Technically, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't upset. That was 500 EXP I could've gotten, but I'll shove down the anger for befriending a future Taijutsu master.

"No, I'm not upset about the result that much."

"Then, I'll take you up on your offer Genji-san, how about here in the Academy courtyard this Saturday around 5:00 PM?"

Oh. But it's on a day Goro trains me and I'm not sure if Goro will always dismiss me at the usual 4:00 PM. Not to mention cutting it close by running from the training grounds to this courtyard in one hour.

Though if I think about it, I don't have any other time to spar with him. I have **[Puppetry 101]** and **[Way of the Fan]** after school, so the weekends will have to do.

Just as I was about to agree, suddenly the three stooges popped out of nowhere and start taunting Shira.

**Perceptive Fighter**

**Level 18**

**Goji**

"Genji-san, what are you doing? A young genius like you shouldn't hang out with a loser like Shira. He's trash who can't become a ninja because he can't use neither Ninjutsu or Genjutsu and will only drag you down to his level."

**Taunting Trickster**

**Level 16**

**Datsuji**

"Stupid Shira! There's no way somebody like you can become a ninja!"

**Muscle Head**

**Level 17**

**Ryoji**

"Why you're still even in the Academy is nonsense."

While they taunt Shira, I see him grimace before schooling his features back to indifference. I wonder if these people are the stereotypical bullies that are dumb and ignorant.

Then again, everyone in this world underestimates the power of a Taijutsu master. The only reason I'm not is because of the memorable episode of the fight between Gaara and Rock Lee.

Observe.

**Name:** Goji

**Level:** 18

**Class:** Ninja Academy Student

**HP:** 1,800

**CP:** 3,125

**Titles:**

**[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% increase in proficiency towards learning academy subjects and skills)

**A very perceptive and proud boy who doesn't like to be ordered around by those he considers inferior. Goji is respectful to those he believes are strong.**

**He's capable of analyzing an opponent's abilities and figuring out a way to exploit their weaknesses.**

So he's the leader of the bullies? He's basically a male version of Saya, except smarter and analytical. Observe.

**Name:** Datsuji

**Level:** 16

**Class:** Ninja Academy Student

**HP:** 1,750

**CP:** 2,750

**Titles:**

**[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% increase in proficiency towards learning academy subjects and skills)

**A very prideful boy who is resourceful and intelligent. Datsuji believes those who can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu are weak because they're not as useful compared to those who can.**

** He's a perceptive tricky fighter who loves taunting those he considers weak, riling up an enemy so they'll make mistakes, and taking advantage of their mistakes.**

That's two people who can back up with what they say with their skills. Is the last one another strong student? Observe.

**Name:** Ryoji

**Level:** 17

**Class:** Ninja Academy Student

**HP:** 2,000

**CP:** 3,000

**Titles:**

**[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% increase in proficiency towards learning academy subjects and skills)

**A prideful young boy who's all muscle and some brain. He loves showing off how tough he is by displaying his muscles 24/7 and whenever he can get away with it.**

** He's currently working his body out to get six-pack abs and distains those he considers trash. Despite being a muscle head, he knows how to use Genjutsu.**

**Ding!**

**[Observe]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Observe] has reached level 50 and a bonus effect has been granted.**

Another bonus effect? Show Observe skill.

**Observe (Passive/Active) Level: 50 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Enables [The Gamer] to see and read detailed information of an object, person, living being, and etc he's looking at. The higher the level, the more information about your target is revealed.**

**+CP Cost: 0**

**Level 25 Bonus: You can now see the information of people's names, level, and special characteristic above their head. This feature can be disabled if its too distracting or enabled by mentally willing it.**

**Level 50 Bonus: You can now see a person's current age, status, and their affiliations.**

What a useful bonus. This will allow me to figure out a person's true loyalties and root out those pesky ROOT deep cover agents in the future.

But back to these three bullies, they're not actually stupid like I thought they were. They can walk the walk and back up their claims with above average smarts.

However, these three have presented an opportunity to earn some serious brownie points with Shira. Maybe even Sen and Yomi since they're within earshot?

Now how to phrase my response that's not insulting towards these three, but defends Shira's Taijutsu prowess? Hmm, how about this?

"While Shira may or may not become a ninja, there's still the chance that he can defeat enemies using just Taijutsu alone. An old man told me anything's possible if you put in a lot of effort and hard work, like practice makes perfect."

**By defending Shira against his bullies, your relation with Shira has increased by 100!**

**Your relations with Sen and Yomi have increased by 50 due to your actions. **

"Genji-san, while it's true that practice makes perfect, Shira will always remain a loser."

"I still say that you're wasting time with a loser that's going to be expelled sooner or later. Meh, whatever! Later Genji-san!"

As Shira's detractors leave and after making sure they far away, I resume my talk with Shira.

"Yes, the meeting time sounds alright. Though I may be running a little late because of an old man's lessons at Training Ground 50. See you next time Shira!"

"Okay, see you this Saturday."

Mwahahah, excellent! I've secured an actual sparring partner that isn't some slow stupid zombie or Kankuro. With his help, I'll build up my reflexes, reaction timing, and skills.

In **[Puppetry 101]**, nothing much different happened except at the end of class.

"Before everyone leaves, you all have some optional homework. If you can afford it, buy an Intermediate Puppetry Kit to bring to class next time. I'll show you the finer details of puppetry and you'll learn the Puppet Technique!"

**Ding!**

**Quest Alert!**

**Kon's Assignment: Buy an Intermediate Puppetry Kit!**

**The teacher has assigned you to buy a Beginner's Puppetry Kit.**

**Quest Objective: **Bring an **[Intermediate Puppetry Kit]** with you to the next **[Puppetry 101]** class on Thursday.

**Quest Reward: **+10 EXP and increased relations with Kon.

**Quest Failure: **None

**[Yes] or [No]**

Yes.

After dinner, I traveled to a puppet store and bought the required item for 15,500 Ryo. I also bought the advanced puppetry kit for 21,000 Ryo too.

**You've obtained the quest item [Intermediate Puppetry Kit]!**

Once back in my room, I opened the package to see what's inside. The kit contained a two foot-tall humanoid puppet and interchangeable parts like arms.

Putting everything back inside and into my inventory, I then entered the Zombie ID to recover my losses.

* * *

**April 12: Thursday**

In Kon's class, he told us to practice our Paper-Sticking for five minutes. I'm so close to maxing out my **[Paper-Sticking]** and it's making me wonder if I'll receive a bonus effect for it.

I'm basing this off the idea I might receive a bonus when a skill hits levels 25, 50, 75, and MAX. Before Katsuo started talking, an alert popped up.

**Ding!**

**[Paper-Sticking]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Paper-Sticking] has reached level: MAX and a bonus effect has been granted.**

Show Paper-Sticking skill.

**Paper-Sticking (Passive/Active) Level: MAX**

**-Suna's version of the Leaf Concentration Practice they stole from Konoha.**

**+CP Cost: (10 X # of papers attached to the body) = # per minute**

**+10% INT**

**Level MAX Bonus: Deep Focus - Tasks requiring the user's full attention are slightly easier.**

Hmm. With this maxed, I can now focus on **[Sand-Sticking]** and other control exercises instead.

"Listen up everyone! I'm now going to teach you the puppet technique. Open your kit and place the puppet's backside facing you."

"Okay! Everyone will now see five colored circles in the shape of a pentagon with another circle in the middle. These are the control points you connect your threads to manipulate the puppet's movement.

"Alright! The yellow circle at the pentagon's center is the spinal joint. If you remember correctly, this joint allows the puppet to levitate above the ground and move through the air. It also controls the puppet's spine and hips allowing it to tilt forward and backward."

"The red circle at the very top point controls the puppet's head. You can swivel the puppet's head left or right, open its mouth, and open or close its eyelids."

"Next is the two green circles on upper points of the pentagon. These two control the puppet's arms, hands, and fingers."

"Finally, the two blue circles on the pentagon's bottom control the legs and feet. You'll be using a total of six Chakra threads to manipulate this puppet. To move the puppet, you'll either twitch your finger or send a chakra pulse along a thread."

"To demonstrate how strong a puppet master is, they can use one thread connected to the yellow circle to control everything."

Kon then connected a thread to the yellow circle and manipulated the puppet's movement with one thread alone. His puppet jumped, walked, and even danced making some of the class laugh including me.

"Alright everyone, try manipulating your puppet. I'll walk around the class and give you any tips to help you along. I want you all to experiment to see what works and what doesn't."

Checking the puppet and thinking it over, I chose to use all the fingers on my right hand and index finger on my left to control this doll. Next I connected my threads to the circles one by one.

The right thumb to the head, left index finger to the spinal joint, right index and middle fingers for the arms, and my right ring and pinky fingers for the legs.

Once that's done, I moved my thumb leftwards to see the puppets head move left. I continued twitching my thumb left until the puppet's head was staring at me face to face.

Then I sent a pulse of Chakra along the thread connected to my thumb to see what'll happen.

**-10 CP! -10 CP!**

Checking the puppet's face, I saw the left eyelid closed and another pulse reopened it.

**-20 CP! -20 CP!**

This did the same thing except for the right eyelid. Hmm, now how to open the mouth? More Chakra?

**-30 CP!**

The puppet's small mouth then opened up wide. Then I thought of an idea and pulsed my Chakra repeatedly.

**-30 CP! -30 CP! ****-30 CP!**

Doing this made me hear the mouth make a clattering noise iconic to puppets and it simulated a human's laughter. Once I was satisfied with this, I tried manipulating the puppet using my other fingers. Though I made sure to keep a close eye on my Chakra and stop before running out.

**Ding!**

**A new skill has been created to manipulate puppets with ease.**

**Puppet Technique (Passive/Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-An ability using [Chakra Threads] to manipulate inanimate objects or living beings. The higher the skill level, the more lifelike and smoother the movements the puppet will appear to others.**

**-For every 10 levels in this skill, the amount of puppets you can manipulate successfully increases and the number of threads required to control them decreases.**

**+1% INT**

**+Activation Cost: ? CP per activation or deactivation of puppet techniques or hidden weapons.**

**+Maintenance CP Cost: 100 X (# of controlled puppets) per minute.**

**+10% attack damage, +5% attack speed, and +5% smoother movement.**

**+1% control to manipulating living beings against their will.**

WOW! This skill is pretty damn fun and enjoyable once you get the hang of it. It's like I'm playing a video game.

The puppeteer is the player, the hands are the controller, and fingers for the button inputs. The Chakra Threads connecting the fingers to the puppet is like the connection between a wired controller and player's avatar.

Once class was dismissed, I went home and ate dinner. After washing the dishes, I skipped hunting zombies for the night to play with my humanoid puppet.

I don't know if this world actually has video games for me to play, but this is a damn good substitute.

* * *

**April 14: Saturday**

Goro's lessons for this day involved my usual workout, learning first aid, and throwing weapons. He would challenge me by pinning a human sized poster of an average adult and tell me to throw at whichever location he said to hit.

**[Throwing Mastery]'s level has risen by 1!**

Then came lunch and my next lesson is about stealth sneaking inside the village. This involved following random Academy Students and whoever Goro tasked me to stalk.

**[Stealth]'s level has risen by 1!**

I received some odd looks from other shinobi and they almost blew my cover. After successfully stalking several students and two distracted Genin, I got caught by the third one.

The generic Genin demanded what the hell I'm doing and I said, "Goro-sensei told me to stalk you for my stealth training."

The ninja didn't believe me and told me to get lost, which I gladly did. Upon returning to Goro he said, "You got caught by the Genin. Do you know what you did wrong?"

"I couldn't find a hiding spot when he turned around because I wasn't quick enough."

"True, but who said you have to hide behind objects? You could've followed a nearby civilian and pretend to be their child."

I see, I'll remember that in the future then.

"But we've reached the end of today's session. Your homework is to give me a detailed two page written report on the Prickly Pear also known as the Cactus Fruit. You're dismissed."

Since Goro decided to hold my stealth exercise in the village, I made it to the Academy courtyard in 30 minutes. For the remaining 30 minutes, I trained **[Sand-Sticking]** in conjunction with my **[Advanced Suna Taijutsu]**.

"Genji-san, you're here! Are you ready for our spar?", greeted Shira as he's smiling a bit at the fact of someone is spending time with him.

Oh, it's 5:00 PM already?

"Indeed Shira, I'm ready to go. Rules?"

"We'll spar in rounds which'll last ten minutes with a five minute break in between. No maiming or seriously damaging moves."

"Alright then."

The two of us then fought each other in a total of four rounds. During our five minute breaks, we would talk with each other in a friendly conversation. On our third break, Shira noticed I wasn't wearing any cloth wraps on my hands or ankles and pointed it out to me.

"Genji-san, why aren't you wearing any cloth wraps on your hands and ankles?"

"Umm, I don't know? Are they important?"

Shira became dumbfounded by my remark and exclaimed, "Yes they're very important Genji-san! Wait, you've been practicing your attacks without these wraps? How come you haven't injured yourself on the training post yet?"

Two pints of milk a day, strong bones from my bloodline limit, and **[Gamer's Body]** namely.

"Maybe I'm not hitting the post hard enough? Could you explain what they are and show me how to wrap my?"

My answer puzzled Shira, but he eventually nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I'll show you how to wrap your hands and ankles after our final spar. I suppose you're lucky you haven't broken any bones from hitting too hard."

We resumed our practice fight for another ten minutes and I lost for the fourth time. But I wasn't angry because I'm gradually getting stronger.

Shira sat down next to me and explained the purpose of a cloth wrap and how to wrap them.

"You see, a hand wrap is a strip of cloth used by Taijutsu practitioners to protect their hands and wrists against injuries induced by punching. It shouldn't be neither too tight nor too loose."

"The cloth absorbs some of the shock of hitting things repeatedly compared to a bare fist. You know you wrapped it correctly when it tightens as you make a fist, but not to the point of it causing pain."

"Like hand wraps, ankle wraps are also used by Taijutsu practitioners to protect their ankles from kicking hard objects. Mostly to support the joins most frequently used and cushion some of impact."

Shira then instructed me on with step by step instructions so I'll be able to do it myself. Once I tied both my hands and ankles, Shira stood up saying, "Well I believe that's enough for today. When do you want to meet next time?"

Since tomorrow is Sunday, I guess it'll have to be 5:00 here.

"Is tomorrow at 5:00 PM here good for you?"

"Yes, it is. See ya next time Genji-san."

"Bye Shira!"

**Your relations with Shira has increased by 10!**

Hmm, I'll have to practice wrapping my hands and ankles when I arrive back home. It'll be an easy friendship boost if I show up tomorrow for our next spar with my hands and ankles wrapped.

Aww shit! I'm almost late for dinner!

It's 6:25 PM and if I don't move my ass, I'm going to be the last person in line. I may be rich as hell, but I'd like to save money whenever I can.

* * *

**Time Skip: 8 Months Later**

**December 3: Friday**

It's been eight months ever since I became **[Goro's Pupil]** on April 3rd and several events and things happened. The first is I've gained **+20 STR**, **+42 VIT**, **+48 INT**, **+24 WIS**, **+32 DEX**, **+40 AGI**, and **+3 LUK**. Some of the increases for STR, VIT, and AGI came from wearing my Iron Sand weights.

Although the old fart is a strict and harsh taskmaster, his tutoring covered all the mandatory subjects I needed to succeed. While his regiment and assigned homework helped me grow better as a prospective ninja, it reduced the amount of time I spent inside the Zombie ID. This made my earnings amount to **36,000 EXP** and **525,000 Ryo**.

These topics I've learned from our sessions included general knowledge, first aid, information gathering, deception, strategy, mental exercises, and survival knowledge. He showed me the parts of plants found in the desert are edible and forced me to eat them.

Every time we'd meet, Goro would tack on an additional rep I'd have to do. Last Sunday, I had to 149 reps of pushups, sit-ups, squats, and side by side jumps each. This included a 28 lap perimeter run as well.

Knowing my teacher, he'll make me do 150 reps tomorrow. It doesn't take a genius to recognize there's a method to Goro's madness. Though it was hell on Earth for me to train with Goro every day for 31 days straight for my Summer Break.

While the training is difficult, it paid its dividends when a few of my stats surpassed 100. Here are the notifications I received when they occurred.

**Ding!**

** Your Vitality stat has risen above 100 and some**** new skills have been created for this occasion!**

**Environmental Resistance (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-By living in the desert for your entire life, your body has adapted to the shifting temperatures of the burning hot day and the freezing cold night****.**

**+Stamina decreases 50% slower when the user is in locations of intense temperature differences.**

**+75% decreased chance of receiving negative status effects caused by the desert environment.**

**+The user's body temperature will feel 33% warmer during the freezing night and 33% cooler during the burning day.**

**Desert Fighter (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-By enduring the rigorous training and fighting opponents in a desert, your body feels at home and adapted to this kind of environment.**

**+10% to all stats except LUK when the user is in a desert region or mountainous terrain.**

**Ding!**

** Your Vitality stat has risen above 200 and a**** new skill has been created for this occasion!**

**Stamina Saver (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-A bonus skill rewarded to the user to reduce the amount of stamina required for physical activities.**

**+Stamina decreases 5% slower for any physical activity.**

**Ding!**

** Your Intelligence stat has risen above 100 and some**** new skills have been created for this occasion!**

**Swift Learner (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-You now understand and master skills faster than your peers.**

**+25% skill EXP gained when training a skill. **

**+Skills and skill book prerequisites are reduced by 10%.**

**Chakra Affinity (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-Technique enabling the user to become more sensitive to Chakra and handle it better.**

**+10% increase in CP recovery rate.**

**+5% increase in total CP amount.**

**+5% increase in Chakra attack and Chakra defense.**

**+30% increase in CP related skill effects.**

**Ding!**

** Your Dexterity stat has risen above 100 and some**** new skills have been created for this occasion!**

**Wired Reflexes (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-Your body has developed the hard-wired instincts required to be a shinobi.**

**+20% reaction speed whenever the user detects an incoming attack upon their person or nearby.**

**Marksman (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-You're able to easily determine whether your target(s) are within range of your throwing projectile weapons and hit them accurately. However, the further your target(s) are away from you, the less likely your weapons will hit.**

**+20% hit chance within 20 meters.**

**+10% hit chance further than 20 meters.**

**Ding!**

** Your Agility stat has risen above 100 and some**** new skills have been created for this occasion!**

**Silent Steps (Active) Level: MAX**

**-Your footsteps are silent and they don't make any noise when you move. ****This skill can be turned on and off.**

**+Active Effect: +10% Stealth**

**Muffled Movement (Active) Level: MAX**

**-A bonus skill given to the user to reduce the total noise made when moving. This skill can be turned on and off.**

**+Active Effect: Clothes, items, and whatever being carried on your person make 50% less noise as you move and +5% Stealth.**

All these milestone skills rewarded allowed me to almost catch up with the older students ready for graduation this school year. Some made it easier to train like **[Environmental Resistance] **making my exercise regiment under the burning sun comfortable.

However, this increase in power didn't go unnoticed. Nearly everyone in my class noticed my abnormal growth rate and how I'm outperforming mostly everyone except the graduating students. Though it's mostly my actions of tripling whatever workout Maki makes us do which easily attracted their attention.

A majority of the students felt compelled and competitive to do their best to keep up with me. Even the muscle head Ryoji did the same amount of whatever I'm doing so he could get his six-pack abs faster.

A small group of older clan kids tried to put me in my place during spars, but I didn't let those idiots get in my way. To make sure they understood the message of "Don't fuck with this student", I'd use **[Power Strike]** at least twice or thrice on their solar plexus.

Some like Lady Saya and Temari politely asked and demanded how I became so strong quickly. My answer to their inquiry was "I followed the instructions of an old man who I call Goro-sensei."

I could've lied, but chose not to and not risk decreasing my friendship with them. Besides, the Kazekage said I can't reveal my Kaguya bloodline limit. He never mentioned I couldn't reveal my training under Goro.

Instead of asking me who Goro is, those two decided used their own information gathering skills to learn about him. The next day, I could see Saya and Temari puzzling over something.

If I didn't know better, I'd think they're trying to decide whether it's worth the effort to endure Goro's rough regiment. I think the deal breakers for them are that they'll have no vacation days and listen repeatedly to his main philosophy of "A specialized ninja is a dead ninja."

I can already imagine the hell those two will receive from Goro and what will make them quit.

For Saya, there's several reasons. Less time spent with her dolls, more exercise, and anger management lessons. However for Temari, it means less time spent with her battle fans and losing the superior attitude she'll develop in the future if it happens.

A couple of weeks later after receiving the quest **[Training Under Goro]**, I had to reprioritize the skills to I spent my time leveling just so I can fulfill all the objectives for the EXP. Whenever I fought inside the Zombie ID, I stopped using my battle fan and bone swords altogether.

I mostly fought the Zombies using Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and throwing weapons. Rather than following Goro's suggestion of using Genjutsu on stray animals, I practiced it on the zombies. Since it's all about manipulating the senses, I practiced on the Level 1 Zombie Kids first before moving onto the stronger enemies.

By implementing a small area of effect Genjutsu affecting their sense of smell and sight, I manipulated them into believing their fellow comrades are healthy looking humans. This tactic turned out to be a success because the zombies turned feral and started biting each other.

Though when they experienced pain, the illusion's effect dissipated. So I had to constantly reapply it to reduce their health to zero. While Genjutsu sounded great and all, I made an effort to reach level 10 so I can focus on other skills.

Speaking of the dungeons, both of my skills **[ID Create]** and **[ID Exit]** have leveled up to 5. This unlocked the Ogre ID and Simian ID.

When the Simian ID was revealed to me, I became befuddled at the thought of fighting a variety of monkeys. I felt curious, but held off from exploring any new dungeon until I've defeated a Zombie Jonin.

Since my first public spar with Shira, Maki mostly paired me with him 75% of the time. 20% is against other students like the clan kids mentioned earlier.

The remainder is with Kankuro, but she rarely matched me with him since he dedicates more effort with his puppets. Not that I blame him, playing with puppets is fun.

Though whenever she does pair me with him, I'd turn the spar into a skill level grinding session. I would strike Kankuro and block his attacks, then attack him again and repeat the cycle until time ran out.

Sometimes, I'll let him get a free hit on me. And it's all for the purpose of leveling up **[Physical Endurance]**.

The free hits I allowed easily rustled Kankuro's jimmies and he thought I was becoming cocky. He's right in a way, but I refuse to be a fragile glass cannon. Maki criticized me for taking damage on purpose, but commented on my improved Taijutsu skills.

Then there's that one quest which came out of nowhere. After spending more than 400,000 Ryo on milk, I've established a friendly relationship with Sato, the Emerald Valley Farm's salesman responsible for the business's branch in Sunagakure.

One time, I asked if the milk business was doing well after encountering an empty sales stall. He replied he only closed the stall because he ran out of milk and the next batch will be coming in soon.

Sato must've seen my panicked expression or something because he reassured me Emerald Valley Farms will continue doing business here. He even declared, "Out of all the business ventures to foreign lands outside the Land of Fire, Emerald Valley is earning the most profit from Sunagakure."

Once he said that statement, I received an alert from the system.

**Ding!**

**After spending a boatload of money on milk alone from a foreign business, you've triggered a Hidden Quest!**

**From the Poor House to Economic Powerhouse**

**Improve Suna's export business other than Gold Dust and make Sunagakure self sufficient.**

**Time Limit: **None

**Quest Reward: **+1,000,000 EXP and a wider selection of goods like food, items, and products to purchase. Foreign merchants will be more interested in trading and conducting business in Suna.

**Quest Failure: **Suna will remain in 5th place out of the 5 Major Hidden Villages in the power, population, and economic rankings.

**[Yes] or [No]?**

I accepted the quest because of the huge amount of EXP as a reward. But I couldn't think of any ways to improve Suna's economic strength other than spending more money on milk.

As the months passed by, several events affected the village overall. The first is a new milk vendor set up shop in the Luxury area.

Due to hearing about EV Farm's immense profits in Suna, their main rival, Green Hill Farms, wanted a piece of Suna's dairy market share. I swear these farmers name their businesses after the stages of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. What's next, Mushroom Hill?

Green Hill sold one gallon of milk for 20 Ryo. I repeat, 20 Ryo for a gallon!

Basically, Green Hill is the poor man's choice for dairy and Emerald Valley is the rich man's preference.

While the price sounds wonderful at first, the quality of Green Hill's milk was lesser than Emerald Valley's. All thanks to **[Observe]**.

**Pint of Cold Milk - Rank: Average**

**-Milk imported from Green Hill Farms located in the Land of Fire.**

**-One of several ingredients that will decrease the chances of disorders and diseases caused by Calcium or Phosphorus deficiency.**

**+15 HP Recovery**

**+2 VIT for 5 minutes**

Occasionally, I'll find a '**Pint of Cold Milk - Rank: Good**' mixed in their stock as well. Because of this new competitor showing up with their low prices, Sato became worried about losing most of his customers.

Thus he chose to reduce the price of the milk he's selling to the following:

**120 Ryo per pint**

**235 Ryo per quart**

**920 Ryo per gallon**

This price change is a relief on my poor tanuki wallet and cash reserves. Instead of spending 5,470 Ryo a week on milk, I'm now spending 2,600 Ryo. That's 2,870 Ryo in savings per week.

I'm starting to think Sato's either is doing some price gouging or selling his milk at a premium. But even if he did gouge Suna, I'd still buy it over Green Hill's milk.

When I continued purchasing EV's milk, he became shocked. He even asked me, "Why? Why don't you buy the milk from my rival next door?"

In return I stated, "The milk from Emerald Valley is always a superior quality product. The milk from Green Hill tastes average and sometimes good."

Sato nodded in agreement and told me that my critique is spot on of EV's modus operandi. EV goes for the "Quality over Quantity" approach, while GH does the opposite.

My review of his product boosted my relationship with him by a lot. Hopefully, I'll get a slight discount or some reward in the future for being a loyal customer.

The reason all this reminiscing about milk being important is because I received an update on my quest of improving Suna. The progress meter went from 0.00% to 0.10% the day Green Hill set up shop.

Yeah, it's not much. But it's still progress no matter how small it is.

The next event that affected the entire village is a water shortage. Due to the decreasing water levels in Suna's Water Resevoir, the village added a surcharge to encourage people to use less water.

It eventually went away after several shinobi specializing in Water Release Ninjutsu restored the reservoir back up to satisfactory levels. Because of this, people bought Green Hill Farm's milk as a substitute for their drinking needs.

This follows into the next event which was Sanae's Family Restaurant adding several brand new dishes to their menu. Because of the water shortage, Sanae had to find a way to cut costs without going into the red.

That's when she came up with some new recipes using milk, instead of water. She couldn't afford EV's milk, but she certainly can with GH's. Apparently, Green Hill Farms is a godsend to her.

I learned about her reaction after overhearing her daughter, a classmate of mine named Sari, loudly speaking about it with her friends. She's the one who scored in second place with a 96% on the General Education Exams.

One can even say the Jonin and I are Emerald Valley's biggest patrons. On the other hand, Sanae, the civilians, and low tiered ninjas like Genin are Green Hill's patrons.

Sanae's success was important to me, because I frequently eat out at her place each day before a training session with Goro. Not to mention that out of all the restaurants I've been to, hers is the only one that consistently produced Great ranked food. Sometimes, I'll splurge a bit and eat some of the expensive dishes to take a break from eating from the Value Menu.

But to think meat cooked with milk is actually delicious and gives a unique taste as well. I was pretty skeptical when I first saw it on the menu, but I'm glad I tried it out.

Now while these events may be insignificant to some people, the final event was of major importance to everyone in the village. It's the Chūnin Exams and Sunagakure is hosting the exams this time.

Yes it's actually happening in December of all times, but one has to remember that the Chūnin Exams are held every six months and the event venue changes as well. Everyone in the village was talking about it and morale is up.

The Training Grounds were crowded with Genin refining their skills to survive the deadly exams. There were Jonin and Chūnin tutoring them as well because if no Genin from Suna make it to the final round, then the possible repercussions would be even more harmful to Suna.

Our leader, the great and supposedly intelligent Wind Daimyo, believes his own shadow military force he commands is weak and outsourced more missions and jobs to Konoha. Why waste more money on a useless organization when you can outsource it to someone who can do it better and cheaper? It's nothing personal, just business and basic economics.

As the foreign ninjas trickled into Sunagakure, I especially made sure to disguise myself to properly cover up the telltale signs of my Kaguya heritage from the visiting Kiri and Konoha shinobi. These methods include purchasing purple makeup paint to cover up my reddish eyeshadow.

This decision received strange looks from Temari and Saya when I was with them in the elective classes. Noticing their gazes and the hidden implied question of "What are you doing?", I replied defensively, "I'm experimenting with war paint."

Temari nodded to my statement saying Kankuro is doing the same thing, while Saya dropped her inquiry.

I also spammed **[Observe]** on every visiting ninja hoping to find a character that's canon or related to a canon character. Also to check and compare their stats and information to see how strong one has to be to become a Chūnin.

After I washed the dishes, I headed towards Sanae's Family Restaurant to purchase some takeout when I saw some awfully familiar ninjas from Konoha wandering about.

If what I'm seeing is correct, then the ninjas over there should be the teenager versions of Iruka Umino and Mizuki.

* * *

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya - **Class:** The Gamer - **Age:** 6

**Titles:**

**[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% proficiency learning Academy subjects and skills.)

**[Bookworm]** (+2 INT and WIS for every 50 books read from start to finish and +30% relations with the Sunagakure Library staff. Books read: 52)

**[Aspiring Fanboy]** (+15% proficiency learning Suna's fan arts.)

**[Aspiring Puppeteer]** (15% proficiency learning Suna's puppet arts.)

**[Apprentice Zombie Hunter]** (+15% attack and defense when in combat against Zombies.)

**[Goro's Pupil]** (Grants +2 STR, +5 VIT, +6 INT, +3 WIS, +4 DEX, and +4 AGI permanently for each full month under Goro's regiment. +30% proficiency learning Academy subjects and skills.)

**Status:** Normal, +19% Evasion, and +9.06 DEF

**Level:** 18 - **EXP:** 18,279/49,000

**HP:** 2,255 - **HP Regen:** 102.75 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 2,136.55/4,273.1 - **CP Regen:** 18.09 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 39 + (39 X .79) = 69.81

**VIT:** 75 + (75 X 1.74) = 205.5

**PE:** 275.31

**WIS:** 47 + (Meditation 19) + (Bookworm 2) + (68 X .33) = 90.44

**INT:** 80 + (Meditation 19) + (Bookworm 2) + (101 X .87) = 188.97

**SE:** 279.31

**DEX:** 58 + (Ambidextrous 20) + (78 X 1.10) = 163.8

**AGI:** 73 + (Sandals 4) + (77 X 1.20) = 169.4

**LUK:** 103

**Fame/Infamy:** 10/0

**Unspent points:** 5

**Money:** 6,102,439 Ryo + (8,000 Stipend) + (525,000 Zombie Hunting) +(50,000 Coin Purse) - (Milk 162,980) - (31,680 Food) - (4,100 Re-sharpening) - (160 Toiletries) - (50 Warpaint) = 6,486,469 Ryo

**Kaguya Genji is a paranoid reincarnated young man who desires money and power to guarantee his wishes such as his survival past the 4th Shinobi War and his mother's wellbeing.**

**He feels indebted to his mother Miya because she didn't throw him away after birth and tried her best to take care of him.**

**Genji is somewhat lazy, but his paranoia of the main characters failing to save the day is enough of a motivator for him to improve himself. In addition, he's finds the art of puppetry enjoyable and has thought of several ways to improve the field.**

**Currently, his power level and stats are nearly equivalent to Itachi and Kakashi when they were his age. ****With the right training methods, skills, work ethic, and overall goals to improve himself for selfish reasons, he'll surpass all eventually.**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Yes, Genji has experienced a power spike due to Goro's training regiment. No, his growth will not go unnoticed by everyone. I'll probably post an interlude with Goro's report to the Kazekage on Genji's abnormal growth sometime later on.

**LordGhostStriker: **The Saya I'm referring to is the Saya from a filler arc in Naruto Shippuden. Most of the characters I'm using are side characters from the filler episodes and such like Yukata, Sari, and etc.

**Fapman:** I know what you mean. I was just saying if Yagura's forces won the civil war, they would put a bounty on Genji in the Bingo Book. Resulting in Genji becoming more of a target when on missions happening inside and outside of Wind Country.

**the froggy ninja:** I planned on Genji gaining benchmark skills when a stat goes past every 100 points. 50 is a little too early for that.


	11. Graduation Exam Preparations

**Disclaimer:** **Familiar characters and references you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Graduation Exam Preparations**

My earlier speculation turned out to be true once I approached the two Konoha shinobi and saw the information above their heads.

**Former Class Clown**

**Level 58**

**Iruka Umino**

**Power Hungry Fool**

**Level 60**

**Mizuki**

Using the information gathering lessons from Goro, I got close enough to hear their conversation in a manner that's not suspicious. It's a good thing there's several other civilians around us I'm using for cover, because I would've been busted from the get go. So far from what I'm hearing, they're just discussing random stuff.

With a quick look, I memorized their current appearance and overall features. The tanned Iruka with his iconic horizontal scar across his face, hair tied into a ponytail, and his headband protector on his forehead. He's also wearing a dark blue shirt, black pants, and dark blue shinobi sandals. Observe.

**Name:** Iruka Umino

**Level:** 58 / **Age:** 16

**Class:** High Genin / **Affiliation:** Konoha

**HP:** 3,800

**CP:** 7,675

**Titles:**

**[Genin]** (Allowed access to E, D, and C ranked Jutsu in the restricted shinobi section of the library. Able to participate in missions with a team.)

**Status:** Normal, **(Kyuubi Hater: **-50% relations when in the presence of Naruto Uzumaki**)**, **(Tree Hugger: **+10% in all stats except LUK when in a forest or area with a lot of trees**)**.

**Iruka is a young man with a developing strong will and a kind disposition towards those he considers as friends. He is still bitter about the loss of his parents to the Nine Tailed Fox, thus he doesn't like Naruto for now. **

**He has some aspirations in becoming a teacher at the Ninja Academy, ever since he discovered the shinobi mission lifestyle isn't for him. Although Iruka doesn't know any destructive or unique Jutsu, he has dedicated most of his time mastering the Academy's basics since learning one has to be at least a Chūnin to actually teach.**

Huh? Iruka hates Naruto?

OH! I just remembered he changes his opinion sometime after he becomes a teacher.

So there's a highly probable chance of Iruka being promoted to Chūnin after this exam or the next. If he makes it to the finals, I'll probably bet on him winning assuming there's nobody notable in the finals.

On the other hand, Mizuki wore a dark green do-rag with his protector over it covering his silver white hair, a black long sleeve shirt, an unzipped beige vest, black pants, and standard dark blue shinobi sandals. He also carried a large straight-edged Fūma Shuriken on his back.

Maybe he's compensating for something? Observe.

**Name:** Mizuki

**Level:** 60 / **Age:** 20

**Class:** High Genin / **Affiliation:** Konoha

**HP:** 3,975

**CP:** 7,450

**Titles:**

**[Genin]** (Allowed access to E, D, and C ranked Jutsu in the restricted shinobi section of the library. Able to participate in missions with a team.)

**Status:** Normal, **(Kyuubi Hater: **-50% relations when in the presence of Naruto Uzumaki**)**, **(Tree Hugger:** +10% in all stats except LUK when in a forest or area with a lot of trees**)**, **(Sadist: **Physical attacks are +15% more painful and increases the duration of bleed related effects**)**.

**Mizuki is a young selfish man suffering from an inferiority complex who cares not for anything or anyone, but his own personal gain and greedy desire for power. He plays by a different set of rules and uses underhanded ruthless methods for his own benefit.**

**He enjoys watching others suffer namely Iruka, while maintaining a friendly and kind mask over his black heart to fool almost everyone he knows. Mizuki used to be friendly and stood up for Iruka multiple times, but became jealous of his friend's growing power.**

Hmm, another Genin with a level above 50. From all the evidence I've seen so far from using **[Observe]** on every foreign shinobi, one needs to be at least above or around 50 to become a Chūnin.

With all this information I've gathered, I worked out a rough estimate of this world's power levels which is the following:

**Civilian: 1-10**

**Ninja Academy Student: 11-25**

**Genin: 26-59**

**Chūnin: 60+**

**Jonin: 140+**

**Kage: ?**

**God of Shinobi: ?**

My estimations may or may not be accurate. It's just a simple assumption from all the people I've used **[Observe]** on so far and will eventually change until I form a definite baseline.

In my Academy class, the highest leveled student graduating this school year is a boy named Nobu at level 23. He's an 11 year old boy with a plain face desiring to become the Rookie of the Year just to stand out and receive recognition for his efforts.

For the past eight months, I've been increasing my stats and only leveled up once. Guess this means I shouldn't be fooled by someone's level. I'll have to remind myself constantly to not be arrogant against anyone even if they're low leveled.

Knowing Nobu is going to be tough to beat, I need to stop being a scaredy-cat and start fighting against the stronger Zombies. Though I'll have to find an area that has a lot of Zombie Students and Zombie Genin without me having to go searching in the village.

My musings on the future was interrupted when the two tree huggers started talking about the quality of Suna's ninja, after passing by a nearby Suna shinobi. Iruka stated to Mizuki to be wary and cautious of the competition.

Not to mention he started to appear a bit worried about his teammate trash-talking Suna in a public space and within the town proper of Suna too.

"Remember Mizuki, our sensei said to expect the unexpected?"

"Don't worry Iruka, the Chūnin Exams will be a piece of cake. We can beat down any competition our team faces because Konoha is number one." Mizuki declared this with confidence and pride befitting the common mindset of the winners of the 3rd Shinobi War.

"Mizuki! You shouldn't underestimate the competition, especially those from Suna as they're hosting the exams this time."

"Tch, these pushover sand scratchers can't compare to us. They may act like they're strong, but they're all weak and pathetic. Even with their home field advantage. It's getting late Iruka, I'll meet with you back at the hotel."

"See you later then Mizuki. Remember we're having a team meeting at 9:00 PM."

The two shinobi separated and went their different ways. With Iruka out of sight, Mizuki walked deeper into business district and I followed him.

While I moved in Mizuki's general direction, I tried to shrug off his earlier statement from my mind. Suna isn't the worst shinobi village to live in and I felt the need to defend my new home for some reason. It's like I'm starting to get attached to this place.

I would've liked to refute his claims, but as much I want to deny it, he's 100% correct about Suna being pathetic.

Some examples and irrefutable proof that stood out in my mind is the Academy barely has enough monetary funds and minimal resources to function. Reusing old textbooks which are probably outdated and such.

Students have to buy their own personal puppetry kit and fans instead of them being provided. Then again, Kan had some fans for other students to use so that argument might be invalidated.

It's too bad I can't think of anything to use to mess with him. I could pull off a Naruto inspired prank, but I don't have any pranking supplies on hand.

**Quest Alert!**

**Messing with Mizuki**

**Cast a successful Genjutsu on Mizuki without getting caught in the act.**

**Quest Reward: **500 EXP and Genjutsu Skill Scroll** [Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique]**

**Quest Failure: **50 EXP and decreased relations with everyone in Sunagakure.

**[Yes] or [No]?**

Thank you system for the idea input. A skill scroll?

Quite the tempting reward, but is my **[Genjutsu Mastery]** high enough to do this? When Goro saw my yellow hair illusion, it proved my illusions will work on higher leveled people.

But wouldn't Mizuki feel the foreign Chakra within his Chakra coil network or the mental intrusion? Though the consequences of my actions could result with a black mark on my record.

The charge? Assaulting a visiting shinobi unprovoked. All of my hard work cultivating my relationships will go down the toilet. Best to save now, instead of regretting later.

Pause. Save Data. Overwrite Save File 3.

**Do you want to overwrite '1st Meeting with the Teacher' with 'Messing with Mizuki'?**

Yes.

**Save Data**

**Save File 1: 1st Day of Life Mid-Tutorial**

**Save File 2: Becoming 3.5 Years Old**

**Save File 3: Messing with Mizuki**

Resume.

Now what kind of medium should I use that'll be appropriately effective and safe in this situation? Touch is a no go because then it would be obvious who the culprit is.

Can't do smell because throwing something on the ground is littering and I'll given a minor misdemeanor charge. Don't know how to affect his taste other than straight up handing Mizuki an onigiri for him to eat. Like hell he'll accept food from a random stranger.

If I do eye contact, he'll know it's me since I'm looking directly at him. So the best medium I see for this situation is to use a Chakra pulse directed at him.

So what kind of illusion do I want Mizuki to experience? Hmm. Something that'll annoy him and affect his sight and hearing.

AH! I know just the person who'll be annoying my target. Naruto Uzumaki.

The illusion shall be a young obnoxious Naruto wearing orange clothes, a big bright smile, and he'll appear behind Mizuki. The imaginary Naruto will point at him and proclaim he'll become the Hokage along with his usual catchphrase.

Sounds like a wonderful illusion. WAIT A MINUTE!

What's his catchphrase or verbal tic again? Was it 'Dattebayo', 'Believe it', or both?

SHIT! I forgot which one it is. Guess I'll go with 'Believe it'.

Next is whether my illusion should be single targeting or an area of effect? No, it should only target the douchebag Mizuki alone and not the nearby civilians.

Goro-sensei told me that to pull off an ambush and get away successfully without getting caught, you have to consider the environment and other factors.

The current weather? It's a cloudy day with some wind.

The time? 8:00 PM in the evening.

Is the target alone or in a group? Definitely alone I think.

It's good Mizuki is alone because I feel this mission would've undoubtedly failed with Iruka present. All because of the various FanFiction I've read back on my previous life about Iruka's skill-set.

In some of them, Iruka is a sensory ninja. A few write that he's got some sort of sensing technique to find and catch Naruto. For me, I'm just going to assume he's lucky.

Are there any other details I'm not considering? When Iruka and Mizuki separated, was there any hidden code or messages in their words about a suspicious kid following them?

I didn't see any noticeable gestures the two could've made. With that out of the way, how close do I need to be to implant a Genjutsu?

My skill level isn't high enough to do it from a remotely hidden location, so I have to be within at least ten feet of Mizuki. Another factor to consider is the current location.

Mizuki is walking on the right side of the street and there's several people all around walking in front and behind him, not to mention several walking in the opposite direction on the street's left side. There are no nearby ninjas I can see or detect in this area with my current skills.

Remembering Goro's lesson of using the nearby civilians as a human shield and pretending to be their child, I searched for a family I could take advantage of. It was then I spotted a civvy family of three walking towards Mizuki on the left side of the road.

The husband is a whale of man in that he was tall and obese with a scowl on his face. The wife had a horse like neck and looked like a talkative bossy bitch. The son was obese and was whining loudly that he didn't get enough presents for his birthday.

Judging by their slow walking speed and predicting Mizuki's walking path, I guesstimated the two groups will pass near each other in around one minute assuming both groups don't take any detours into a side street.

Perfect! At my current skill level, I'm not skilled enough to cast a Genjutsu from a far distance so I'll have to make do with this.

Discreetly taking a right hand turn onto a side street and taking a left onto another road, I power walked straight ahead of my target to where the family of three will pass by soon. Once there, I walked into a deserted alley and relegated my breathing back to normal.

Once calmed down, I applied a quick **[Transformation]** to change my current appearance and voice into my wimpy classmate Yaoki. When Mizuki looks at me, hopefully he'll dismiss me as a suspect as Yaoki looks like he wouldn't hurt a fly.

In other words, a coward wouldn't attempt something so bold or stupid as to assault a Genin in the general public. Another reason for choosing Yaoki for my appearance is because we're the same height as well. I can eat something and it'll go inside my mouth.

I pulled out three Kibi Dango sticks from my pocket connected to the inventory space to add further credibility to my undercover disguise with all the nearby food shops around and to recover additional CP to maintain my transformation.

When the family three passed by my position five seconds later, I slowly slipped behind them maintaining a respectable distance away and consumed one dango ball. As both groups neared each other, I focused on creating my illusion and sent a Chakra pulse carrying it towards Mizuki.

**-250 CP!**

When my Chakra settled within Mizuki, my illusion overwrote his current reality with my superimposed version. I could tell it's working when he suddenly did an about face snarling and pointing at a nearby trashcan.

"WHAT?! Why are you here you damn demon! Did you follow me here you stupid fox?"

Everyone around us looked at the irate Mizuki including the family in front of me. Does he have such a short fuse that he doesn't recognize an illusion? Was my Genjutsu really that subtle? Is he even a Genin despite what I've seen from his profile?

Feeling satisfied with the results, I stopped the interfacing connection between us before I get caught by any shinobi nearby.

**-50 CP!**

**[Genjutsu Mastery]'s level has risen by 1!**

Before the illusionary Naruto dissipated, Mizuki suddenly realized what happened.

"Wait! That demon is currently being observed back home, so he shouldn't be here in the forsaken desert in the first place! KAI! Whoever did this is going to pay big time!"

With his promise of pain to the perpetrator, Mizuki searched for any nearby ninja that could have been responsible, but only saw staring civilians.

Eventually he examines me where I pretend to wilt and be intimidated by his murderous glare. He snorts in derision deciding a wimpy ass boy couldn't possibly have done this and a rival Genin team was responsible.

**[Deception]'s level has risen by 1!**

Believing he found the person responsible for this incident, Mizuki ran off. HAH! He didn't think of the possibility the suspect remaining at the scene of the crime, instead of running away to find cover.

Once he left, I ate the remainder of my dango and heard the family behind me start talking about the incident.

**+20 CP! ****+20 CP! ****+20 CP!**

"Mommy, why did the leaf ninja call the trashcan a demon?"

"Hush now Douchin, don't look at those crazy tree huggers."

"Those abnormal freaks wouldn't even know what a real demon looks like, even if the local one around here slapped them in the face."

Was that an insult against Gaara? Guess so, but it's not my business to interfere and defend his reputation. Don't understand why a family that despises shinobi is actually doing inside a Shinobi village though? Safety or something else?

Eh, who gives a crap about them anyways? Knowing the fat ass husband, he'll insult Gaara sooner or later and will become bloody smears nobody will miss. Though they do remind me of a certain abusive family from a certain wizarding book series, except these people are their Asian counterparts.

**Quest complete!**

**+500 EXP gained**

**[Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique] has been deposited in your inventory!**

**You gained +1 WIS f****or wisely considering multiple factors and executing a successful ambush!**

Heh! I actually managed to trick someone who's more than 30 levels higher than me. Who's the sand scratching pushover now you tree-hugging bitch?!

Checking my mini-map, I walked towards Sanae's Family Restaurant via a shortcut with no people in it. Along the way I dispelled my transformation and entered the establishment.

"Welcome Genji-san, there's a Ramen special going on today and tomorrow if you're interested."

"Thanks for reminding me Seika-san."

Seika is a waitress I've become friendly acquaintances with due to my frequent visits and showing up when its her shift. She knows my usual routine so she doesn't bother asking if I'm expecting any company and led me to a table.

**Friendly Waitress**

**Level 8**

**Seika**

Seika has a cheery disposition and is pretty straight forward in conversation.

Ohh, today's special is Ramen! Feeling the desire to splurge a bit, I order several meals more than usual.

I want one Shōyu Ramen with a Fruity Drink. For takeout, I want eight Beef Shigureni Onigiri and ten simple Onigiri."

"Your total adds up to 308 Ryo, payment please. Your order will be coming soon Genji-san."

While waiting for the food, I entered a meditative state of mind

Observe. Observe. Observe.

**Fruity Red Drink - Rank: Great**

**-A sweet red drink composed of water, sugar, fruits, and fruit puree.**

**+Restores 50 CP.**

**Shōyu ramen - Rank: Great**

**-A clear brown broth full with beef meat, ramen toppings, bok choy vegetables, and noodles.**

**+Restores 75 HP and 25 CP.**

Mmm, delicious. The Shōyu ramen is savory, tangy, and a little salty. Might have to exercise a bit more than usual to burn off the sodium intake. After consuming most of the meal including the broth, all that was left to eat was these white toppings with a pink spiral on them, which is apparently called Narutomaki.

**Narutomaki - Rank: Good**

**-A type of Kamaboko or a fish cake that's usually a topping served on Ramen. **

**+Restores 3 HP.**

While reading the flavor text of the Narutomaki in my ramen bowl, a Genin team from Kirigakure appeared and sat at a nearby table. One of them looked similar to Haku, while the other two looked generic.

**Loyal Dog **

**Level 58**

**Naoki**

**Bloodline Hater**

** Level 59**

**Yoichi**

**Freezing Ignoramus**

**Level 45**

**Yoshio Yuki**

Let's check out the Haku look-alike. Observe.

**Name:** Yoshio Yuki

**Level:** 45 / **Age:** 15

**Class:** Mid-Genin / **Affiliation:** Kiri

**HP:** 3,425

**CP:** 6,615

**Titles:**

**[Genin]** (Allowed access to E, D, and C ranked Jutsu in the restricted shinobi section of the library. Able to participate in missions with a team.)

**Status:** Normal, **(Aquatic Fighter:** +10% in all stats except LUK when in an aquatic region or misty environment**)**, **(Idealistic Naïve Moron:** -35% decreased WIS**)**.

**Yoshio Yuki is a rich young man who inherited his immense wealth, is totally ignorant, and naïve to the Nth degree. He's a suspected bloodline devil according to the policies of the current Mizukage's regime.**

**Yoshio's bloodline heritage is from the Yuki clan, famous for their Ice Release and their males having a slight feminine appearance.**

**He hasn't left Kiri despite the ongoing bloodline purges. All because of his beliefs that either his wealth will protect him or the current Mizukage will change his bloodline extermination policy if he joins the Kiri Shinobi Corp to change the system from within. Therefore demonstrating that not all bloodline users are evil.**

.

.

.

.

.

Seriously?! I can't believe there's somebody this stupid living in this world. This male has more cents than common sense.

Hmm, didn't Naruto spout off about how he's going to end the cycle of hatred? Like that's going to happen in a land full of magical mercenaries/assassins. There'll be peace for maybe 20 years after the 4th Shinobi War and then something will happen. Conflict is eternal after all.

With a mental nod towards the Yuki, I say good luck and rest in peace. Your removal from the gene pool is an absolute blessing to the Yuki clan assuming it even survives in the first place. The Mizukage will seize his assets and use it to further his bloodline extermination policy.

Now that I think about it, this is probably one of several plots by Kiri to send suspected bloodline limit devils, I mean users to their deaths?

What better way to kill someone than having your suspected targets sign a death waiver for the Chūnin Exams? Nobody can complain, since you signed on the dotted line with your signature. Place one suspect on a team and assign a secret mission to the other two team members to eliminate their teammate.

I can already imagine the play by play events. When asked what happened, that an opposing Genin team did the killing and nobody will investigate the death further because of the waiver.

If the Mizukage is feeling desperate enough, he'll hire a foreign village like Suna and contract them to kill the bloodline user. That's if the contracted village honors the deal and doesn't take the bloodline for themselves for breeding.

But why go through all this trouble and not outright assassinate him if he's suspected? Is it because of his money and status? Whatever it is, I'm just glad I wasn't reborn in the prejudicial Water Country.

Two quick uses of **[Observe]** on the other two male teammates showed the duo not having any bloodline limits and are absolutely devoted to the current Mizukage Yagura's policies.

The bloodline hater Yoichi supports the Mizukage because of a past experience in his childhood. Loyal dog Naoki obeys whatever he's ordered to do no questions asked because he's been brainwashed like that.

Besides, it's not as if I'm in a position of power to do anything. Or could I? Nah, I wouldn't be taken seriously if I spoke to the Kazekage. What would a six year old, who hasn't graduated from the Academy, know about politics and power plays?

Soon after picking up my takeout order, I rushed home to see if I can learn from my newly acquired Genjutsu skill scroll. Once the door is locked, I withdrew the scroll and the system notified me.

**Would you like to learn the skill**** [Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique]?**

** [Yes] or [No]?**

Yes.

**You cannot learn this skill!**

**Requires [Genjutsu Mastery] Level 18.**

Show Genjutsu Mastery skill.

**[Genjutsu Mastery] Level 10**

Guess I'll need to practice my Genjutsu then. Depositing the skill scroll back into my inventory, it's now time for the daily zombie run.

ID Create: Zombie ID.

Inside my room, I descended down the staircase to the ground level floor. Inside the lobby, I immediately met a Zombie right off the bat.

It's around my size and height, yet I could feel it's certainly powerful than a level 1 Zombie Kid. Observe.

**Name:** Zombie Student

**Level:** 8

**HP:** 1,000

** CP:** 1,850

**A zombie version of the Ninja Academy Student in the Naruto universe. It knows [Beginner Tenderizing Fist], a Taijutsu style focused on tenderizing the flesh and meat of the prey in certain vulnerable areas before biting onto those areas.**

**The Zombie Student is slightly slower than a real life student and will**** always run away seeking help when its HP goes below 10%.**

Zombies actually have a Taijutsu style? I'll try studying and mimicking the style when I get some free time later on.

And what's with the sudden jump in HP? A level 7 Zombie Bandit Leader has 250 HP and yet this student has four times that amount.

Dismissing the window, I looked at the monster. Once the both of us met each other's gaze, the kid rushed forwards to get close to me.

While moving, the monster cocked it's right arm back and swung a right hook towards my stomach's right side.

Easily avoiding the attack by ducking below it, I retaliated with a rising uppercut towards its chin.

**CRITICAL! -187.96 HP!**

After the impact, I moved further into the lobby to get some more room. The student followed and telegraphed its next attack by cocking its left arm back and chopped down toward my neck.

Seeing the chop, I lean to the right avoiding it and launched a front kick towards it's stomach.

**-125.31 HP!**

Upon damaging the enemy, I jumped back to create some distance and the zombie repeated its earlier tactics, but with a different variation each time.

Taking advantage of its predictability, I whittled its HP until it dipped below 10%. Right after my attack landed, the monster turned around and dashed towards the building's exit.

Before it set one foot outside, the student received a thrown kunai to the back of its head.

**CRITICAL! -153.42 HP!**

**You've gained 17 EXP!**

** You've gained 250 Ryo!**

The dead remains dissipated and I picked up my kunai before exiting the building. Now where can I find some Zombie students congregating in one general location? Why of course, the Academy!

On the way to the Academy, I encountered another zombie ten meters away. Judging from its current appearance, it looks like a Zombie Genin if I'm not mistaken. Observe.

**Name:** Zombie Genin

**Level:** 11

**HP:** 2,000

**CP:** 3,500

**An undead shinobi freshly graduated from the Zombie Ninja Academy of Suna just like its human counterpart in the Naruto world. Unlike the weaker leveled Zombies, it actually has some intelligence and will attack methodically.**

**It knows [Intermediate Tenderizing Fist], which teaches the practitioner to use attacks incapacitating the opponent's movement before tenderizing the sensitive parts of the human body.**

**The Zombie Genin can throw kunai and shuriken at distant enemies and will use a kunai as a weapon if it sees an armed opponent. It also uses Chakra to enhance its biting power and will fight to the bitter end.**

I knew the battle became unavoidable once the Genin started throwing kunai at me. So I countered with my own kunai and it hit the zombie's stomach.

**-76.71 HP!**

The two of us continued our ranged kunai warfare, except I used my **[Iron Sand Manipulation]** to catch the zombie's kunai to replenish my decreasing stockpile. Eventually, the zombie ran out of weapons to throw and charged at me.

When it came close enough, the Genin threw a compact right jab towards my liver. Tilting my body to the left, I moved forward to take advantage of the opening presented to me.

Getting close, I then realized I fell right into a trap when the Genin stopped its jab. Not expecting a zombie being intelligent enough to use a feint, this left me wide open.

I tried stopping my forward momentum and retreat, but the zombie used a low kick which struck my left leg's backside.

**CRITICAL! -738 HP!**

**You received the status effect (Weakened Left Leg: -10% AGI).**

SHIT! The strong force of the kick almost knocked me down to the ground, but I remained standing.

Feeling threatened by the Zombie's powerful STR stat, I started watching the zombie carefully and to watch for any feints. It only has 350.73 HP remaining so a critical **[Power Strike]** should be able finish it off.

Knowing I have enough HP to tank another critical hit, I stepped in close and used a right straight enhanced with **[Power Strike]**. At the same time, the monster moved its leg for another low kick.

**CRITICAL! -738 HP!**

**You received the status effect (Weakened Left Knee: -15% AGI).**

**CRITICAL! -489.25 HP!**

**You've gained 23 EXP!**

** You've gained 325 Ryo!**

The both of us traded simultaneous hits on each other and I won the battle. Damn this Zombie Genin for giving me a -25% AGI de-buff.

Guess I paid the price for becoming a bit arrogant thinking they'll remain dumb at higher levels. Though this is an opportunity to prepare myself for future battles with an AGI penalty.

Until I become strong enough or receive a special skill, I'm not going to be able to fight all my battles in 100% condition.

So I continued into the Academy itself and hunted the weakest lone wolf students. The AGI penalty and the student's intelligence made it difficult at first, but I soon got the hang of it.

Not to mention I used Genjutsu to shift their depth perception a few inches to make it easier to dodge their attacks. Though I had to reapply the illusion every time I landed a hit on them.

When it's all said and done, I could only kill an additional ten level eights netting me **+170 EXP** and **+2,500 Ryo**. Today's amount is pitiful, but it's all I can do with the limited amount of time I have.

On the way back to my dorm room, I used all the stealth skills I have to ensure I'm not ambushed by another Genin. After hobbling up the stairs which took longer than usual, I exited the dungeon and cleaned myself off.

Before going to bed, I wrote about the low kick in my journal and its potential use in my Taijutsu repertoire. An attack technique reducing AGI is certainly something to hone and practice in this particular world.

* * *

**December 4th: Saturday**

Its another training day to learn under Goro and I did my usual morning routine. On the way to my destination, I wished I knew the **[Body Flicker Technique]** to shorten the time it takes to under or around a minute.

Thanks to following Goro's regiment, the travel time to and fro has been reduced by five minutes. I could spend some points in AGI to lessen the time, but those points are better spent in LUK instead.

Should I ask him to teach me it? I could use the excuse of escaping from deadly enemies such as the giant three tailed scorpions, huge ants, and etcetera.

Soon, Goro appeared out of nowhere carrying several large scrolls on his back and barked out his usual orders. As I predicted, he made me do 150 reps of each exercise.

One I finished his demands, I saw Goro unfurled another scroll on the ground and he used Chakra to make some sort of tall rack appear on top of it. A glance at the other items around me implied that I'm going to be learning about Cooking today.

These items included cooking knives, two pairs of thick rubber gloves, a pair of aprons, seasonings, and is that the remains of a rabbit?

"One of today's lessons will be about learning how to skin, gut, and cook several animals that you might encounter in the desert for survival purposes. I'll show you how its done and then you'll attempt the process yourself under my supervision."

"We're first going to start with the desert hare. Here boy, put these gloves and apron on. I hope you're not squeamish because it's going to be a very messy and bloody day."

**Your [Cooking] skill has risen by 1.**

**Your [Cooking] skill has risen by 1.**

By the time butchering lessons were over, I could 100% say I preferred buying meat prepared rather than me doing it myself. It reminded me of my reasons of not becoming a doctor back on Earth.

If I didn't have **[Gamer's Mind]**, I would've thrown up from smelling all of those bloody organs, innards containing excrement, and whatnot. I'm not disgusted enough to go completely vegetarian for my diet, but I'll get used to this sometime down the road.

Some of the animals I field dressed are the desert hare, cottontail rabbit, desert bighorn sheep, lamb, horse, and a peccary which is known as the skunk pig.

At least I gained some levels in my **[Cooking]** skill for my bloody efforts and updated my recipe list to include horse sashimi, peccary sausage, roasted lamb rack, and more.

Some of the steps Goro mentioned made my mind wander into the gutter such as, "Hold your blade like this, place it at the anus, and then slowly thrust and penetrate it in a back and forth motion."

With the way Goro phrased his explanations, anyone perverted would think I was holding a dildo instead of a cooking knife.

He talked about the importance of examining the animal's liver for any signs of unusual discoloration. This is a visual cue the animal has a serious infectious disease and that you should discard the meat immediately.

The tall hanging rack was important as it's used for hanging the carcasses to drain the blood out of them. When I successfully field dressed one animal, Goro would unseal the next animal from a scroll for me to learn.

Another point was removing the urine sac before the rest of the organs, especially when it appears to be full. Nobody likes their meat marinated by pee pee.

Most of the meat when cooked tasted gamey and would take some time to get used to. He also gave me a tip from his personal experience stating that if one doesn't like the gamey flavor, then you should soak the meat in salt water or vinegar.

After my cooking lesson and for the remainder of our training session, he allowed me to practice my Genjutsu on him. Though he did challenge me to be creative with my illusions such as forcing him to see they sky is green and the sand hot pink.

What I found interesting is my skill level in Genjutsu increasing by a lot compared to using it on the zombies. Is it because I'm doing this on a person who's at higher level than me? That could be the case.

During this time, I asked him some questions about illusions.

"Goro-sensei, I have a question about Genjutsu. When casting an illusion on a stronger target, does it take more Chakra to make it work?

Goro's eyes then narrowed as he silently stared at me and I believed for a moment he figured out I'm responsible for the Genjutsu incident with Mizuki yesterday. Eventually after a awkward moment of silence, he spoke.

"Of course it does, you are trying to overwrite the target's natural mental defenses and impose your illusion on their mind. Genin ranked ninja and above have been trained to resist or detect illusions. You could potentially slip a Genjutsu on a stronger opponent if they're distracted by something and not fully aware of their surroundings."

"How much Chakra is used also depends on several factors. Chakra control, skill level with Genjutsu, the illusion's details, and how many senses you are manipulating."

"Remember this kid. The more senses you trick the target's brain, the more Chakra is needed for the illusion to take hold."

"Do you any other questions?"

"Can you please teach me the Body Flicker Technique? For escaping any of the deadly enemies I encounter in the desert, please?"

Goro scratched his beard thinking about my request and then looked at me inspecting my body. A moment later, he said "Yes, I believe your body is ready to learn and endure it, so I'll teach it to you soon. Is that all?"

"Yes Goro-sensei."

"Alright then. Usually I'd dismiss you for the day, but not this time around. You have two hours to go back home, clean yourself up, and get whatever supplies and equipment you need to camp outside on this open training ground for tonight and tomorrow's hunting trip."

"This is to prepare you for the survival portion of the exam as it makes up 25% of your overall grade. You'll only be restricted to one water canteen and a couple of energy bars, so it forces you to use those wilderness survival skills you've learned. Now go!"

**Major Quest Alert!**

**Goro's Mission: Buy survival supplies!**

**Goro wants you to buy the necessary equipment to survive in the desert**

**Time Limit:** Two Hours

**Quest Reward:** 50 EXP and increased relations with Goro.

**Quest Failure:** 25 EXP and decreased relations with Goro.

**Quest cannot be refused!**

Checking my clothes, it's all bloody and needs to be washed now before it becomes permanent. Rushing back to the dorm complex and ignoring the stares the civilians are giving me, I pull out the laundry equipment and performed a thorough scrubbing.

Finally after 25 minutes, I managed to remove the bloodstains that dyed my beige T-shirt bloody red. After a quick shower, I went downstairs to tell Katsuo I won't be able to wash today's dishes for dinner and to the Academy to alert Shira of this new development.

Both of them thanked me for giving them a heads up and I promised to make it up for them in the future. Next was going to Sanae's to order my dinner takeout.

Once that was done, I traveled to the Suna General Store for the needed equipment for a camping outside. Inside the store, the shopkeeper greeted me and I tried to remember what supplies Maki said we would need to camp outside.

From my memories, I hopefully picked up all the materials needed for the quest. The employee told me to pay 6,000 Ryo and I did.

**You've obtained the quest items [Tactical Backpack], [Sleeping Bag], [Thick Blanket], [Water Canteen], [Mess Kit], [Desert Canvas Tent], [Small Mirror], [Small Hammer], [Rebar Stakes], [Fire-Starter], and [Energy Bar].**

Reorganizing and stuffing the quest items in and on the backpack and the sealing the heavier equipment like the **[Rebar Stakes]** inside my storage scroll, I heft it up onto my back and walk back to the meeting spot Goro said to meet up at.

"You're early kid! Unpack everything and show me what you brought." Obeying his instructions and unloading everything including the sealed tent equipment in the storage scrolls, I await for his approval.

Watching him inspect my items, I noticed him raising his brow in surprise momentarily before schooling his visage back to the stern instructor. Was it because I bought everything, actually remembered to buy the correct type of stakes for the tent, or something else?

**Quest complete!**

**+50 EXP gained!**

**Your relations with Goro has increased by 10!**

"Hmm, good enough. Now I hope you're good at following instructions because you're in charge of setting up the canvas tent and will do it all by yourself without my assistance. Better make sure that the tent is secure because I hear there's a severe sandstorm blowing over here around 9:00 PM today. Don't want to get blown away afterall!"

"If the tent is not secure, then you failed this lesson and probably will fail the survival portion on the graduation exam. Don't worry, we'll relocate to the nearest rest stop building for the sandstorm to pass, that is assuming you fail."

**Major Quest Alert!**

**Goro's Mission: Set up the tent properly!**

**Goro wants you to set up the heavy duty canvas tent before the sandstorm comes at midnight.**

**Time Limit:** Three Hours

**Quest Reward:** 50 EXP and increased relations with Goro.

**Bonus Reward:** Finish early in one to two hours and Goro will teach you the **[Body Flicker Technique]**.

**Quest Failure:** 25 EXP and decreased relations with Goro.

**Quest cannot be refused!**

Quickly unzipping the tent and unsealing the stakes, I read and reread the instructions to make sure I understood them. Following the steps listed on the small booklet that came with the tent, I used the hammer to pound the three foot-long stakes into the ground, instead of the default two feet stakes that came with the tent.

Maki said, "Always make sure the tent is securely attached to the ground because of excessive winds and other factors."

The store offered three feet rebar stakes and I bought them cause I'm paranoid. These specialized stakes have a hardened plastic mushroom cap at the top to prevent injuries to the feet due to stepping on them.

One and a half hours later after double and triple checking the multiple stakes pounded into the sandy ground are secured, I called Goro over for a tent inspection. While two hours may seem a lot of time to set up a tent, I didn't feel safe when some of the stakes weren't deep enough.

"Good! The tent is definitely secure enough to endure tonight's sandstorm. You would've failed instantly, if I didn't see those rebar stakes you showed me earlier. Now go set up your sleeping gear, leave enough room for me inside, and come back out here for a bonus lesson."

**Quest complete!**

**+50 EXP gained!**

**Your relations with Goro has increased by 10!**

"Since you finished the tent early, I'll teach you how to do the Jutsu you requested as a reward for finishing early. Now listen up and pay attention!"

"The Body Flicker Technique is a skill where you temporarily vitalize the muscles in your entire body with Chakra to increase the body's power to withstand instantaneous high speed movement. You must also focus on expelling Chakra to your feet like a pressurized blast to create that burst of speed."

"The main principle behind the technique is like Chakra Reinforcement, except your channeling Chakra into the muscles throughout your entire body. Depending on how far you intend to travel and what elevation you traverse determines how much Chakra will be used for this Jutsu. The hand seal for the Body Flicker Jutsu is just the Tiger seal."

"Activating the Jutsu will create a burst of smoke that is used to distract the enemy and hide your movements such as where you dashed off to. There are variations where one can use something else other than smoke such as sand for example."

"HOWEVER! You'll definitely fail on your first try and will face plant into the ground or the wall. I highly recommend you do it in this open sandy area, so you won't collide against the rocky wall. Let me show you how it's done first, before you try it yourself."

Goro then proceeded to form a Tiger seal and a small poof of smoke appeared. With **[Sense Presence] **telling me he's behind me, I quickly spun around to see him right there.

"Now it's your turn. Remember! It's the Tiger Seal to activate the technique, evenly distribute the Chakra throughout your entire body, and expel Chakra from your feet to move."

"Don't be discouraged if it doesn't work out for you. It means your body hasn't developed the necessary perception to handle the intense speed."

Focusing on the details of using the Jutsu, I form the Tiger hand seal and focused **[Chakra Reinforcement]** throughout my body and expelled Chakra beneath my feet for the explosive speed burst. Only to find my vision blurred for a moment and instantly face planting the sandy ground.

**-50 CP! -10 HP!**

Bleagh! There's sand in my mouth! Let's try that again, except with less Chakra expelled. Cycle the Chakra through the entire body before adding it to the bottom of my feet.

30 minutes later after multiple failures and a first hand experience of what it's like to be Wile E Coyote smashing into rock solid walls, I finally managed to execute the technique moving around 20 meters and remain standing after stopping it.

**Ding!**

** A new skill has been created to shorten travel time and increase your AGI parameter.**

**Body Flicker Technique (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-An extreme speed movement technique allowing the user to move short to long distances depending on how much Chakra the user vitalizes the muscles within their entire body.**

**+Active Effects: Initially produces a smoke cloud and +100% AGI.**

**+Flat Active Cost: 250 CP**

**+Maintenance Cost: 500 CP per minute.**

"Good! Until you have decent control over this skill and demonstrate said control to me, I forbid you from using it inside the village. You may only use this in wide open spaces like here, you got that!?"

"Yes Goro-sensei, don't use **[Body Flicker Technique]** in the village and only use it on the training grounds!"

"Since the sandstorm is approaching now, I suggest you practice your Chakra control or Genjutsu while the both of use are inside the tent. If the hazard peters out, then we'll do a late night teaching session about astronomy and navigation at night time. If it doesn't, then we'll start the lesson tomorrow at 5:00 AM."

"Yes Goro-sensei!"

Doing what he recommended, I continued refining my Genjutsu on Goro. Eventually the high winds and sandstorm died out at midnight and he took me outside to look at the stars.

At 2:00 AM, he told me to go to sleep as session will commence at 5:00 AM. I was tempted to argue for 8:00 AM, but his glare told me nothing I could say will persuade him otherwise.

* * *

**December 5th: Sunday**

"WAKE UP! We have work to do so dissemble this tent quickly. When you're finished, I want you to do some stretches before doing 151 reps of your usual exercises and 50 laps around the field. And no, you cannot use the Body Flicker Technique to shorten your run time."

With Goro's commands still ringing in my ears, I begrudgingly got up and dressed myself. Knowing the consequences should I say "Let me sleep for five more minutes", I obeyed and did what he said.

I sometimes swear that old fart noticed my **[Gamer's Body]** granting a full recovery back to 100% every morning without any sore muscles. Although I don't know the reason why he's making me do 50 laps instead of the usual 28.

**You've gained +1 VIT!**

**You've gained +1 AGI!**

Once done with regimen, Goro motioned to me to get my backpack and supplies before announcing what we're doing.

"Today, you'll be accompanying me to Training Ground 55, so I can show you how to track and hunt for food."

Along the way, I asked Goro as to why we're heading towards a training ground and not going outside of Sunagakure for our hunting trip.

Goro in turn replied, "Training Grounds 53 to 55 are one of several specialized grounds which teaches students how to hunt and forage for food and water. This one in particular teaches its students how to hunt desert hare and cottontail rabbits. Field 54 is for hunting peccary's and field 53 is for desert bighorn sheep and lambs."

Looking at field 55, it reminded me of a nature preserve you usually see in arid climates. There were several various types of cacti and I even saw a nearby desert hare burrowing in its hole.

"Before we start, I'm going to point out that whatever prey you catch, you'll field dress, cook, and eat. But before you eat the prey, you'll demonstrate to me how to properly field dressing process of each animal you catch. This is to test your memory and memorization skills.

"Now pay attention to what I'm going to say. Here's how you track a desert hare."

**Ding!**

**A new skill has been created to notice details of hunting your prey and surviving in the wild.**

**Wilderness Survival (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-An essential skill ALL shinobi are required to know for surviving, navigating, and thriving in the wilderness. Enables the user to live off the land and make wise decisions to prolong their survival in nature.**

**+1% WIS**

**+5% increase to tracking, foraging, and navigational skills.**

From that point on, Goro taught me several topics I needed to remember. Such as tracking the footprints of the prey I'm hunting to recognizing signs that a human has left behind. He also taught and reminded me navigational skills like how to use a compass, read a map, and etcetera.

Hunting these wild animals wasn't easy as it took me several tries to land my throwing weapons on the moving target. In fact, Goro made me practice with shurikens, kunai, and senbon so that I wouldn't struggle in case I somehow manage to misplace my weapons. Like that'll ever happen with my inventory dimension.

It was considerably easy to hunt the lambs and sheep as they just stood there ready for the slaughter. The hares and rabbits proved to be more difficult in which they actually see you throwing something deadly at them and run off immediately. Hunting them is like shotgun shooting where you shoot ahead of the target.

Some of the time was spent showing and demonstrating to Goro how to field dress the animals I killed and cooking them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Just as the time became 4:00 PM, Goro ended our training session and I reviewed all the gains I was notified about earlier.

**Your [Sense Presence] skill has risen by 1!**

**Your [Wilderness Survival] skill has risen by 2!**

**Your [Cooking] skill has risen by 1!**

"Before I leave you for today, I recommend you look around in the shopping district and the bazaar if you have the time. When one of the five major hidden villages hosts the exams, a lot of merchants will set up shop there. There might be something of use to assist you, so you better browse their wares before they leave."

"Thank you Goro-sensei!"

Goro turned to leave, but then turned around and said "Oh, I knew I was forgetting something. I forgot to assign you your homework."

Grr! To think that this would be one of those days where he didn't give me homework, my hopes and expectations were too high.

"For your homework that'll be due this Saturday morning, I want you to write a three page report on who you believe is the most deadliest person listed on the current Bingo Book and your conclusions as to why. You can either buy the book at the general store or look up the local copy at the library."

Well that's easy, I'm going to write and base my report on either Orochimaru or Kisame Hoshigaki. Who I write on depends on the information provided in the Bingo Book.

"Also, the exams will be starting soon so our meeting place will change. You'll meet me at the Academy's entrance at 8:00 AM this Saturday as usual. You're dismissed for today."

Right after Goro left, I dashed to the Academy for my sparring session with Shira. He inquired why some parts my body was covered with blood and I told him about my cooking lessons. He gave me some time to remove the blood off my skin and we sparred.

By the time I finished washing the dishes, I went inside my room and entered the Zombie ID without changing into some fresh clean clothes. I have a limited amount of time and the time used for dressing up can be used to make up for the quota of yesterday and today.

When I walked downstairs and onto the ground floor, I saw something unique but also quite scary. In the lobby, there was five Zombie students standing there. But beyond them inside the cafeteria, there was at least several dozens of students eating raw meat on their dinner plates and drinking a literal Bloody Mary mix with actual blood.

Upon taking a second step into the lobby, the five students suddenly looked in my direction and yelled out loud. To my horror, all the students inside the cafeteria turned their heads to the yelling zombies and immediately stood up.

A quick **[Observe]** on the five zombies told me they smelled the dried blood on my person and see me as fresh meat. Once the closest students started moving, I ran up the stairs and stood outside my dorm room in the hallway.

It's suicidal to fight in the open when I could use the narrow stairs to limit their number of zombies to fight simultaneously. On the bright side, at least I don't have to go searching for students when they can come crawling to me.

After a minute passed by, the first monster walked out of the staircase and it's a level 10 student. I waited for it to charge at me and hurriedly punched and kicked it to death all empowered by **[Power Strike]**.

**You've gained +21 EXP!**

**You've gained 300 Ryo!**

Once I killed the high leveled student, two more students showed up. I panicked for a moment before calming down and withdrew my battle fan since I'm not killing them fast enough.

Eventually it came to the point where I'm being overrun by engaging four or five students at once. That's when I had enough and withdrew the large amounts of chakra-infused Iron Sand stored within my inventory and manipulated my **[AISD]** to control and attack.

Inspired by remembering Gaara's brutality in the anime, I used my Chakra infused sand and wrapped it around the student's ankles and legs. Then I imploded it to debilitate their AGI and making it easier to handle the enemy.

Once I cut down their AGI, I covered their entire bodies except their faces and imploded the sand again.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to encase and immobilize an opponent within an iron cabinet filled with Iron Sand.**

Not now game, get out of the way!

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to implode or crush an opponent(s) when they're wrapped with Iron Sand.**

Dammit, what did I just say damn system?!

From that point on, more and more zombie students kept appearing. Eventually, I started running out of Chakra by restraining and imploding my enemies.

So I stopped crushing the monsters with Iron Sand and just immobilized them leaving parts of their body exposed. As soon as they're restrained, I immediately struck them without fearing a counterattack.

When the hallway was flooded with ten students and counting, I retreated to my bedroom and locked the door.

To hell with this! I'm going to be overrun and I'm low on Chakra to continue my massacre. I can't afford to get the Chakra Exhausted status effect.

ID Escape!

Thankfully, the surroundings shifted from a ruined room back to the real world. I've learned my lesson now, don't wear bloody clothes.

But what where those skills I've learned I dismissed earlier? Checking the skill list, I found the two skills and read their descriptions.

**Iron Sand: Iron Maiden (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A Crowd Control skill which encases an opponent(s) in an human or coffin shaped iron cabinet filled with a large amount of Iron Sand infused with the user's Chakra. It can be used to immobilize, suffocate, or chained into the deadly technique [Iron Sand: Crushing Maiden].**

**+Activation Cost: 100 CP**

**+Maintenance Cost: 250 CP per minute.**

**+Immobilizes the target's movements as long as they're encased in Iron Sand. The user can also partially restrain an enemy by targeting their ankles or body parts.**

**+The caster can levitate or move the restrained target(s) depending on the motions of their hand(s).****  
**

**Iron Sand: Crushing Maiden (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-An offensive skill which instantly crushes or implodes whatever is wrapped within Iron Sand. The user can control the pressure used in the attack to do varying amounts of damage from breaking bones to completely liquefying an opponent.**

**+Activation Cost: 500 CP**

**+100% Attack Damage and 100% Critical Damage.**

**+Always a critical result if the caster uses the maximum pressure available.**

**Hand Sign: Clench your hand into a fist per activation.**

Guess I got the Iron Sand version of Gaara's signature techniques. After I showered and cleaned myself, I calculated how much I've earned today.

If I did my math correctly, I've gained **1,468 EXP** and **21,275 Ryo**. Pretty good, but I'd like to face the monsters at my own pace next time.

* * *

**December 7: Monday**

It's another school day and I checked my to do list to see if I missed anything important recently.

**Genji's To-Do List**

**1:** Ask Patron about the baseline stats of an average Chunin/Jonin/Kage/God of Shinobi.

**2:** Ask Patron if there are any consequences for abusing the Save Reload feature.

**3:** Ask patron if DEX or AGI affects a person's perception.

**4:** Fight a Legion Zombie.

**5:** Explore the Shopping District and Bazaar for useful items to purchase.

**6:** Locate a drug store that sells poisons to students so I can inflict status effects on my enemies.

**7:** Finish Goro's homework.

**8:** Find out where mother works.

Nope, I haven't missed anything. Some of these tasks will have to wait until I'm on vacation.

I could do a stakeout at the rundown apartment where my mother and I first lived in, but I don't have the time. The time wasted on watching my mother could be used to train and ensure I graduate early.

Interestingly enough, I overheard from the older students that the Chūnin Exam begins today. But nothing different happened during my usual routine.

* * *

**December 11: Saturday**

Waking up and prepped for the today's activities, I walked to Academy's entrance. I also made sure to bring my report about why I believe Orochimaru is the most dangerous person listed in the Bingo Book.

"Right on time as usual kid. Do you have your report for me to grade?"

"Here's my report Goro-sensei!"

"That's good. Hopefully, it'll be detailed and concise. It's also a good time to do your usual exercises as well. This time, do 152 reps of everything and run around the Academy's perimeter for two hours. Begin!"

While doing my exercises, I saw various teachers and some students observing me. No doubt rumors and gossip about my workout will spread at the Academy on Monday.

Two hours later, Goro called out to stop what I'm doing and get over to him.

"Your report is good enough. Moving on! Today, it's all about details, details, DETAILS! People often say 'Knowledge is power' and they're right. But in our line of work, it's 'Information is Power'."

"We're shinobi meaning we must be able to sort, solve, and collect information important to the mission's success and to your survival. It's a vital skill so neither you nor your teammates comes back home in a body bag."

Hmm, he's very passionate about this. Must be because of the death of his teammates back in his past.

"For example! When you're assigned on a team, you need to figure out the teammate's strengths and weaknesses. You need to utilize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses so you'll be successful."

"A shinobi must be able to figure out what's true because your enemies will spread around misinformation to trick you. Is something out of place such as a tipped over vase in a well organized room? Maybe a crooked picture frame? Then it could be a deadly trap, hidden safe, evidence that somebody was there snooping around, and more."

"When you first meet your client, he's a nervous wreck and sweating buckets when meeting new people. Yet later on, he's calm and collected in a different environment conversing with total strangers. That's suspicious behavior and you should be on alert if you weren't in the first place."

**1 Hour Later**

"And that's how you tell when someone is hiding something from you. For the rest of today's session, here are some logic puzzles, mathematical problems, and strategic scenarios you need to solve by 4:00 PM.

The difficulty of this assignment varied all over the place. Some were easy and others were hard.

The ones that are the most difficult for me to solve is to decrypt the hidden message of the cryptographic algorithm and figure out if the cipher is correct or not. But I managed to figure it out by the time limit.

**Solving the cryptographic algorithms has increased your WIS by 1!**

Goro then said to meet here at the same time as today. Nothing different happened for the rest of the day as it's the same routine as usual.

* * *

**December 15: Wednesday**

It's my birthday today and as always, it came with the usual notification.

**It's your birthday today!**

** +1 to all stats, +25 HP, and +25 CP!**

Feeling the desire to celebrate this day, I asked Katsuo after breakfast if there's a bakery or sweetshop he'd recommend.

"Oh, I see you're craving for some sweets Genji. I recommend Amano's Sweetshop, though one of the assistants working there is a bit eccentric. Don't call him an old man cause that'll make him upset."

"Thanks!"

On the way to school, there are posters displayed all over Sunagakure showing the finalists of the Chūnin Exams including the tournament bracket.

The posters display each finalist's Ninja Registration Profile Picture for promotional purposes, their names, affiliation, and who they're facing off against. Hopefully, they'll allow a little kid like me to gamble cause I'm going to bet on Iruka and Mizuki winning their matches.

The poster for the match displayed the following:

**Chūnin Exam Finals**

**Match 1: **Iruka Umino of Konoha** VS **Ittan of Iwa

**Match 2: **Shibuki of Taki** VS **Tsubusa of Suna

**Match 3: **Mizuki of Konoha** VS **Iwashi Tatami of Konoha

**Match 4: **Suname of Sunagakure** VS **Hikaru of Kumo

**Match 5: **Sajin of Suna** VS **Morio of Iwa

***Buy your tickets at the sales booth near the Wind Tower***

****The finals will take place on January 12 at the Suna Stadium and matches start at ****12:30 PM********

I'll have to buy my ticket during lunch then. When I arrived in class, everyone's talking about the finals and who they think will win.

When lunchtime came around, I skipped going to Katsuo's place and searched for the sweetshop. I managed to find it after asking around and entered the establishment. The inside of the place looked like your typical bakery shop with a glass showcase displaying the confectionary available to buy.

**Sweets Specialist**

**Level 8**

**Amano**

**Eccentric Taste Tester**

**Level 9**

**Kuroyanagi**

There were two people I saw working behind the counter. The first is Amano, a brown haired lady in her late twenties wearing a chef's uniform and owner of this place. The other is Kuroyanagi, he's a young adult with black hair.

While browsing their products, I heard Amano asking Kuroyanagi to taste test a melon flavored cake. I watched to see why Katsuo called this guy an eccentric person and saw it first hand.

He took a bite and I saw him leaning backwards reminiscent of Neo from The Matrix dodging some large whole melons. I rubbed my eyes thinking it's a Genjutsu, but it's still there.

The scenery then disappeared once he started acting normally and commenting on the cake's flavors and quality. This guy's antics and over the top reaction amused me as I'll come here to satisfy my sweet tooth.

When I finally made my decision, I waited for somebody to man the cash register so I can order. Feeling a bit impatient since I'm limited on time, I ignored Katsuo's earlier warning and called the eccentric an old man.

"Excuse me old man, but I'd like to buy this large chocolate cake along with a gallon of vanilla ice cream please!"

As soon as I said the trigger words, the man started twitching and I saw a tick mark on his head.

"Old man?! I, Kuroyanagi, who is only 22 years old is being called an. . . . old man?!"

He suddenly turned around and pointed at me proclaiming, "Young boy! If you want me to sell you anything, then you better not call me an old man again or else!"

But Amano came to my defense by bopping him lightly with her spatula. "Kuro-chan, you've been ignoring a customer during your taste test. Besides, he's just a young child who doesn't know any better."

"Alright boy, I'll let you off the hook this time. Your total will be 160 Ryo."

Meh, that's pocket change compared to the money I've amassed so far. When he bagged my purchases, I quickly deposited the cold foods in a side street and sprinted to the Wind Tower to buy my ticket.

After paying 7,000 Ryo for front row seating, I went back to school for the rest of my classes. My reasons are not because I desired to be closer to the action and experience dangerous Jutsu upfront.

It's because I want to see the hand signs the finalists will use for their Jutsu. Especially the foreign Iwa shinobi, so I can copy their Earth elemental Jutsu.

Hmm, I'll need to buy a telescope or binoculars, a notebook, and a pen as well.

Along the way back to school, the general atmosphere of Suna is joyous since three of the finalists are from Suna. There's festivities going on and many civilians are celebrating.

Back at the Academy, I've heard rumors and gossip saying that all three Suna participants are receiving special tutelage from elite Jonin. Just so the village can finally prove themselves to their Daimyo.

Personally, I the pessimist, think they're wasting their effort because the Daimyo won't be convinced no matter what. Since he thinks we're useless because the strongest Kazekage disappeared during the war.

Some of the local Suna merchants pooled their money and decided to go all out on the new year festival hoping to drum up a lot of money and business from foreign visitors. They're taking an awfully huge risk that a lot of people will buy their products.

Before Maki let us out for the day, she alerted us to not go into certain Training grounds as they're reserved for the exam finalists. She also told us to be especially courteous and respectful towards visitors because most of them are clientele who are the Village's source of income.

In simple terms, she's telling us to not do anything bad or Suna will be even deeper in the red. Maki also paired me up with Shira again for my sparring partner and I still lost. But not as badly as I showed some improvement over my first fight.

While wandering the village after washing the dishes, I found a establishment willing to sell poisons to an Academy Student. The place is called Granny's Poison and Potions.

It took a while, since some stores refused to sell to kid who hasn't graduated from the Academy yet. But the owner of this place believes in letting kids do dangerous things so they can learn from their mistakes via the HARD and painful way.

The old lady manager said, "Don't come running to me if you stupidly poison yourself somehow and expect me to give you the antidote for free."

To avoid being suspicious to her, I bought myself a couple bottles of **[Minor Paralysis Agent]**, **[Minor Poison Agent]**, and the antidotes for 1,000 Ryo.

Following Goro's advice, I saw some products that'll help me advance my skills. Do I have enough money to buy everything I've seen? Yep!

Have all the foreign merchants arrived in Suna to display and or hawk their wares? Nope.

Back in my dorm room, I practiced **[Meditation]** before going into the Zombie ID. While walking to the Zombie Academy, an idea popped in my mind after I spotted a Zombie Civilian.

Didn't Han Jee-han fight a Legion Zombie early on? Sure he had help, but I believe I'm strong enough to battle one by myself.

So I withdrew my Sousou Poison Dagger and the best bone sword I currently have in my inventory. I poured the poisonous liquid on the dagger and the paralyzing chemical on the bone weapon.

Let's see what new effects are on the weapons now. Observe.

**Spinal Column Bone Sword - Rank: Good**

**-A bone sword made by a seven year olds spinal column. The user clearly concentrated on infusing Chakra into his bones to produce a good quality sword. The user has poured a bottle of [Minor Paralysis Agent] to cause a numbing effect on enemy's damaged by the weapon.**

**+Durability: 20 | Attack: +20**

**+50% chance of inflicting the status effect (Minor Paralysis****).**

With my luck, I'll be inflicting my enemies more than 50% of the time. Observe.

**Sousou Poison Dagger - Rank: Unique**

**-A dagger with the special effect of increasing damage dealt to enemies by 20%.**

**+Durability: 50 | Attack: +35**

**+50% chance of inflicting the status effect (Minor Poison).**

Excelllent! Time to save my game just in case I accidentally create a Zombie Kazekage instead of a Legion Zombie.

**Do you want to overwrite '****Messing with Mizuki****' with '7th Birthday?**

Yes.

**Save Data**

**Save File 1: 1st Day of Life Mid-Tutorial**

**Save File 2: Becoming 3.5 Years Old**

**Save File 3: 7th Birthday**

Resume.

With a unique dagger in my right hand and a bone sword in the left, I commenced a Zombie Civilian massacre along the way to the village's outskirts.

Upon killing the 300th civilian within an hour, I fulfilled the conditions needed for the boss event to happen. My guess became true when I heard piercing roars all over the village.

Ten meters in front of me, I saw a massive horde of low leveled civilians quickly running in a panicked manner to one spot. kids, civilians, couples, and adults started dog piling onto each other and I felt curious about this phenomenon.

Observe.

**Incomplete Legion Zombie**

**Level: **?

** HP: **?

**CP: **?

**Several hundreds of Zombie Civilians are in the process of merging together to form a Legion Zombie. It's currently immune to any damage during the transformation process.**

While waiting for it to complete itself, I made **[AISD]**'s sole objective to block any surprise attacks in my blind spots. I also consumed some restorative food items to bring my HP, CP, and stamina back to full.

One minute later, the 35-foot tall Legion Zombie finally formed itself. It was then a blinking blue window appeared in front of me alerting me of the special event. It also hinted there's no escaping this fight.

**Boss Battle Event!**

**Zomboss ****Gatō****: The Legion Zombie**

**KILL OR BE KILLED!**

The portly boss let out a loud war cry and started walking over to me. The ground slightly rumbled with each step it took. It looks like a zombified version of that villain in the Wave Arc, except with no clothes or sunglasses. I forgot his name, but this boss looks very disturbing.

Observe.

**Zomboss ****Gatō****, the Legion Zombie**

**Level:** 34

**HP:** 30,400

**CP:** 2,400

**An assembly of Zombie Civilians full of resentment towards [The Gamer]. Whenever they feel threatened due to mass hunting in a short period of time, they will merge together to form a Legion Zombie.**

**It doesn't know any Jutsu and is very slow, but has immense strength and stamina to compensate. It can also enter a berserk state when angered and will call for reinforcements when it reaches a low health count.**

WHAT?! This guy has a ton of HP and can summon mob monsters? Hopefully, the extra reinforcements will be the usual two or three mooks.

Once the boss came close enough, it struck downwards with a right closed fist. I jumped back far away just in case any shrapnel is launched from the impacted ground.

As the fist made contact, my worries about shrapnel disappeared. The fist shaped indent on the ground and the large amount of dust kicked up from the strike made me aware of this boss's immense STR.

If it continues doing these kinds of attacks, I'll have to be aware of positioning and the surrounding environment at all times. The boss pulled its fist back off the ground and raised its right leg for a stomp.

Avoiding the attack easily, I waited for it to use another attack with its hands. Attacking Gatō after it uses a stomp is too dangerous and reckless.

My opportunity came when it launched another attack with it being a left handed fist slam. Upon making contact with the ground, I rushed in close and slashed with my poisoned dagger first.

**-142.8 HP!**

**You inflicted the status effect (Minor Poison: -5 HP per minute. This effect can be stacked).**

Reading the effect, I slashed twice with my dagger and thrust once with my paralyzing sword to pierce its skin.

**-142.8 HP! -142.8 HP! CRITICAL -157.2 HP!**

**You i****nflicted the status effect (Minor Paralysis: Immobilizes the afflicted target for two seconds).**

Noticing Gatō's entire body became frozen, 'Chance' appeared on my mind. So I quickly cut the boss with my dagger again.

**CRITICAL! -214.2 HP!**

The boss roared in frustration and I retreated to create some distance between us. I noticed the Minor Poison is now doing -15 HP per minute and believed it to be the key to winning this battle.

Angered that I've damaged it, Gatō entered a berserk state. Its attacks are so random that it's too dangerous to even approach.

Gatō vented its rage by attacking the ground, the nearby buildings, and anything that looks like me in its eyes. It eventually returned to normal and attacked with a downwards palm strike.

I repeated my earlier tactics, but this time using **[Chakra Reinforcement]** and **[Power Strike]** on all my attacks.

**-50 CP! -50 CP! ****CRITICAL! -485.84 HP!**

**-50 CP! ****-140.8 HP!**

** -50 CP! ****CRITICAL! -344.96 HP!**

Currently, the effect Minor Poison is damaging the boss by -30 HP per minute. Gatō pulled his hand back up and entered a berserk state once again.

It was then I recognized the noticeable pattern and took advantage of it. I waited for Gatō to use an attack using its hands, attack his hand, wait for it to stop its twenty second berserker tantrum, and repeat.

Frankly, just standing around waiting for Gatō's rage to subside is a waste of time. It was then I remembered I have those two Iron Sand skills I've learned last week.

Summoning some Iron Sand from the environment, I focused on wrapping Gatō's right ankle. The boss is too large to completely encase, so better cripple its AGI than nothing. Right when the ankle was covered completely, I activated **[Iron Sand: Crushing Maiden]**.

**-435 CP!**

** CRITICAL! -939.93 HP!**

**You i****nflicted the status effect (Weakened Ankle: -15% AGI).**

Damn that's a lot! Since this was done using regular Iron Sand, so what will it be if I used the sand infused with my Chakra from **[AISD]**? I'll find out soon enough when I'm desperate enough.

The two of us continued our attack pattern until Gatō's HP dropped below 15,200. The boss shrieked loudly signaling the start of this event's second phase.

Suddenly, I started wishing for the small reinforcement theory one typically sees in video games was actually true. Cause from what I'm seeing, THERE'S TOO MANY DAMN ZOMBIES!

The massive horde of Zombies entering the battlefield numbered in the several hundreds and they're all equipped with deadly weapons. And wait!

Is that a freaking crossbow?! When did this world have crossbows or did I forget they do have them? From their appearance, these new monsters looked like strong Zombie Bandits and a multitude of them rushed in front of Gatō and surrounded me.

Observe.

**Name: **Zombie Mercenary

** Level: **15

** HP: **2,500 / **CP:** 5,000

**A special weapon wielding monster who ****only appears during certain Boss Battles as reinforcements. It's slightly stronger than a Zombie Genin and will work together with other mercenaries to defeat its enemies.**

**Its current job is to separate you from Zomboss** **Gatō** **and do anything to kill those who harms its employer.**

Immediately after I finished reading the description, a sword wielding merc attacked with a jump slash. The others charged as well seeing their comrade's initiative.

Dedicating all my attention on avoiding their attacks, I noticed it's only the mercenaries attacking and Gatō standing in the back with an arrogant sneer.

Dodging all these attacks is leveling up my **[Sense Danger]** by a lot, but I can't keep doing this forever. Hopefully they'll disappear after the poison kills Gatō soon.

It's not like he'll recover any health by camping behind his hired help like a bitch and WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE BOTTLES THE MERCENARIES ARE ABOUT TO GIVE HIM?!

Observe.

**Panacea - Rank: Unique**

**-Completely cures any negative status ailments, except curses.**

WHAT?! Observe.

**Zombie's Recovery Potion - Rank:** **Good**

**-A good grade recovery potion that instantly recovers 1,000 HP and tastes like human blood.**

NO! I can't afford this boss consuming any of those bottles, particularly the Panacea Potion. DAMNIT! Jee-Han didn't have to deal with this kind of bullshit, so how am I going to resolve this dilemma?!

Think brain! Come on I need a solution!

**[Gamer's Mind]** forcibly calmed me down and I remembered Goro's lessons about details and the battlefield environment. Then I noticed an opening in the mercenary horde and the tall buildings all around me.

THAT'S IT! The answer is right there!

Sprinting and evading the attacks through the mercenaries, I jumped and used **[Rock-Climbing]** to run up the building. Once I reached the halfway mark between the rooftop and ground level, I changed directions and running perpendicularly towards the boss.

Though these damn mercenaries launching their arrows made this significantly harder. Feeling that I'm close enough, I grabbed several kunai from my leg holsters with both hands and chucked ten of them simultaneously at the bottles.

Out of all the kunai I threw, some of them managed to destroy the antidote and five recovery potions before the boss got them in its hand. Unfortunately for me, Gatō consumed three recovery potions which restored 3,000 HP.

The good news is the mercenaries only had one bottle of Panacea to give away. Barely dodging another crossbow arrow, I dashed upwards to the top of the building.

To my horror, the only door leading to the rooftop was kicked open and the area became flooded with zombies. The street below was filled with mercs and the other nearby buildings also had mercs on their rooftops cutting off that avenue of escape. Did I forget to mention they're all pointing their crossbows at me?

Should I take the risk and wall jump between buildings? No, that's not going to work.

All I can do for now is tank and block the attacks until I think of something. **[AISD]** is blocking any arrows from hitting behind me and I focused on attacking the monsters in front of me.

**-166.38 HP! CRITICAL! ****-254.1 HP!**

OW! Come on, come on! What can I do?!

Unless I can create a floating platform or suddenly walk on air, there's no way I can get out of this situation. Huh?

Damn am I an idiot for forgetting my Iron Sand abilities again. I can manipulate and shape the sand to suit my current needs.

Splitting my attention between evading attacks and creating a floating platform capable of supporting my weight, I successfully created a platform five seconds later.

**-100 CP!**

**Ding! **

**A new skill has been created to fly through the sky using Iron Sand as a platform.**

**Iron Sand: Desert Suspension (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A stable cloudlike platform composed entirely of Iron Sand. It can fly, float in midair, is able to support your weight and carry others when on it, and can serve as a fast personal transport.**

**+Activation Cost: 100 CP**

**+Maintenance Cost: 200 CP per minute**

**+Additional Cost: ****+25 CP to extend the platform or create more platforms to carry other people. **

**+20% movement speed when the user and others are on the platform.**

It's like Goku's nimbus cloud, only made of Iron Sand. Leaping onto the cloud, I moved the platform away from the buildings.

The zombies continued launching arrows at me until they ran out. I returned fire by throwing kunai coated with poison at Gatō's weak points like his eyes.

**CRITICAL! -140.7 HP! -93.8 HP! -93.8 HP!**

**You i****nflicted the status effect (Grievous Wounds: -50 HP per 10 seconds).**

Angered by the fact its minions can't damage me due to their lack of ammunition, the boss started destroying the stone buildings and used the debris as projectiles to throw at me.

Knowing I'll run out of Chakra at this rate, I needed Gatō to willingly give up the numbers advantage. So what better way to piss it off by doing some trash talking.

"Hey fatass! Those measly pebbles you're tossing around couldn't hit me even if I stood still. Oh, you mad? Then come and get me unless you're waddling speed is too slow! AHAHA!"

Predictably, the boss entered a berserk state of mind again and started killing the mercenaries around it due to its tantrum. Once I flew past the zombie horde, I jumped off the cloud and pelted the boss with several shuriken.

**-89.6 HP! -89.6 HP! -89.6 HP! -89.6 HP! ****-89.6 HP!**

Though unlike last time where it'll continue thrashing about, the boss snarled and charged right at me. Well I got what I wanted, so its time to lead it to open area of Training Grounds 50 far away from the horde hopefully.

After entering the training ground, I re-engaged the boss in close combat. I know I created enough distance from the reinforcements to finish Gatō off.

The both of us performed the same tactics at the beginning of the battle. Occasionally, Gatō will throw a one-two combination, a repeated stomp, a bite attack, and or a leg sweep to keep me on my toes.

The leg sweep was the one and only attack by Gatō which caught me off guard. One wouldn't expect a fat zombie crouch low and do something like that.

**CRITICAL! -1,722 HP!**

**You receiv****ed the status effect (Bleeding Wounds: -20 HP per 10 seconds).**

When I saw the boss crouch down, I thought it would jump onto me. But I misread its intentions and fell for it just like when Kankuro used the same attack against me. Another hit like that and it's game over.

This back and forth pattern between the two of us continued until Gatō's HP dipped below 5,000. Then the boss entered an enraged state which didn't dissipate after twenty seconds. Guess it'll remain in this state for the rest of the battle.

Pulling out several dango sticks from my inventory, I consumed them all to recover some CP.

**+20 CP! +20 CP! +20 CP! ****+20 CP! **

Not having to worry about any other zombies launching a surprise attack from behind, I used the chakra-infused sand of **[AISD]** to attack. I manipulated the sand so it'll enter Gatō's orifices and repeatedly used **[Iron Sand: Crushing Maiden]** to severely damage it.

**-435 CP! CRITICAL! -1,583.04 HP!**

**-435 CP! CRITICAL! ****-1,583.04 HP!**

In the distance, I see the mercenaries rapidly approaching. Gatō needs to die now!

**-435 CP! CRITICAL ****-1,583.04 HP!**

**-435 CP! CRITICAL ****-1,583.04 HP!**

"DIE ALREADY DAMNIT!"

**-435 CP! CRITICAL ****-1,583.04 HP!**

I don't have enough Chakra to use another crush, so I'll have to throw shuriken and senbon until it dies.

**-89.6 HP! ****-89.6 HP! CRITICAL! -137.55 HP!**

Hallelujah! Amen! The big fat boss is finally dead!

The boss fight with Gatō concluded when the big monster succumbed to the compounding status effects I inflicted on it. Upon reaching 0 HP, the boss screamed a deathly wail and slowly dissolved into several black particles rising into the sky.

On the spot where Gatō died, I saw a couple of items for me to pick up on the ground. The mercenaries in the distant horizon scattered in different directions because their employer died.

**You defeated the boss monster: ****Zomboss** **Gatō****, The Legion Zombie.**

**You've received the title [Zombie Slayer]!**

**You've gained**** 50,000 EXP!**

**You've obtained**** 250,000 Ryo!**

**Your level has risen by 1!**

**Gained 5 spendable points.**

Only one level up? That's disappointing. Character Status.

**Are you sure you want to spend the following points?**

**+10 LUK**

**Current AGI: 103 **→ **113  
**

Yes.

Before doing anything else, I took out my first aid kit and patched myself up to rid myself of the bleeding status effect. Then I walked over to where the boss died and picked up the five potions.

Observe.

**Recovery Potion - Rank:** **Low**

**-A low grade recovery potion that instantly recovers 200 HP and tastes like strawberry.**

Aww! I was hoping for the better recovery potion that recovered a 1,000 HP or the unique antidote for my future encounter with Sasori.

Though there was two skill books on the ground instead of one. Aha, it seems my luck investment is paying off!

Picking up the first book displaying an undead sucking green energy out of a living being, I received an alert.

**Would you like to learn the skill [Life Drain]?**

**[Yes] or [No]? **

Yes.

**Life Drain (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Drain and absorb the life force from your foes and add to your own health reserves. The HP amount is doubled if the caster uses both hands.**

**+Flat Activation Cost: 100 CP**

**+Maintenance Cost: 200 CP per minute.**

**+Drains and absorbs at a maximum rate of 10 HP per minute upon direct contact. ****The user can control the amount absorbed from 1 to 10 HP per minute.**

Hmm, what's this one then? The other book was similar, except it showed blue energy being sucked out of the human.

**Would you like to learn the skill [Chakra Drain]?**

**[Yes] or [No]?**

Yes.

**Chakra Drain (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Drain and absorb Chakra from your foes and add to your own Chakra reserves. The CP amount is doubled if the caster uses both hands.**

**+Flat Activation Cost: 100 CP**

**+Maintenance Cost: 200 CP per minute.**

** +Drains and absorbs at a maximum rate of 10 CP per minute upon direct contact. The user can control the amount absorbed from 1 to 10 CP per minute.**

***Absorbing excess Chakra will damage the user by 10 HP for every 5 CP taken above the limit. **

Yes! Two wonderful skills I'll use sometime in the future. They're a bit weak right now, but they'll become powerful after I grind them a bit.

What's the time? It's 10:30 PM and I'm going to be late for bed.

After tucking myself in for the night, a stray thought came to mind. If the Legion version of a Zombie Civilian gave me this much trouble, will the Legion Zombie Ninja be a nightmare to fight if there is one?

* * *

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya

**Class:** The Gamer

**Age:** 7

**Affiliation:** Suna

**Titles:**

**[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% proficiency learning Academy subjects and skills.)

**[Bookworm]** (+2 INT and WIS for every 50 books read from start to finish and +30% relations with the Sunagakure Library staff. Books read: 52)

**[Aspiring Fanboy]** (+15% proficiency learning Suna's fan arts.)

**[Aspiring Puppeteer]** (15% proficiency learning Suna's puppet arts.)

**[Zombie Slayer]** (+50% attack and defense when in combat against Zombies.)

→ **[Goro's Pupil]** (Grants +2 STR, +5 VIT, +6 INT, +3 WIS, +4 DEX, and +4 AGI permanently for each full month under Goro's regiment. +30% proficiency learning Academy subjects and skills.)

**Status:** Normal, +19.5% Evasion, and +9.06 DEF

**Level:** 19 - **EXP:** 21,578/50,000

**HP:** 2,315 - **HP Regen:** 104.5 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 2,233.43/4,466.85 - **CP Regen:** 19.74 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 40 + (40 X .82) = 72.8

**VIT:** 76 + (76 X 1.75) = 209

**PE:** 281.8

**WIS:** 50 + (Meditation 19) + (Bookworm 2) + (71 X .39) = 98.69

**INT:** 81 + (Meditation 19) + (Bookworm 2) + (102 X .94) = 197.88

**SE:** 296.57

**DEX:** 59 + (Ambidextrous 20.5) + (79.05 X 1.14) = 170.13

**AGI:** 74 + (Sandals 4) + (78 X 1.23) = 173.94

**LUK:** 113

**Fame/Infamy:** 10/0

**Unspent points:** 0

**Money:** 6,486,469 Ryo + (274,650 Zombie Hunting) - (1,240 Food) - (4,720 Milk) - (6,000 Survival Equipment) - (160 Amano's Sweetshop) - (1,000 Granny's Poison and Potions) = 6,747,999 Ryo

**Kaguya Genji is a paranoid reincarnated young man who desires money and power to guarantee his wishes such as his survival past the 4th Shinobi War and his mother's wellbeing.**

**He feels indebted to his mother Miya because she didn't throw him away after birth and tried her best to take care of him.**

**Genji is somewhat lazy, but his paranoia of the main characters failing to save the day is enough of a motivator for him to improve himself. In addition, he's finds the art of puppetry enjoyable and has thought of several ways to improve the field.**

**Currently, his power level and stats are nearly equivalent to Itachi and Kakashi when they were his age. ****With the right training methods, skills, work ethic, and overall goals to improve himself for selfish reasons, he'll surpass all eventually.**

* * *

**Author's Note**

Why was the description of the Zombie Genin different from the one in Chapter 7? Because his **[Observe]** is at a higher level, thus more information is gleamed.

Yes, I changed up the boss fight a bit to make the event feel more deadlier.

**Locothehood**: Yes, save scumming will have a penalty in the future such as in changed events. For example, he goes back in time to expect Event 'A' to happen, but Event 'B' happens before Event 'A'. Or in the Chūnin Exams, the matchups will change. Another example is Nation 'A' allies with/invades Nation 'C', instead of 'B'.

**RadioPoisoning**: You are right in that the Genji's **[AISD]** consumes too much Chakra, but it'll be resolved by either a benchmark skill from WIS, pay money to decrease Chakra cost, or an alternate method. I haven't thought of an 'Ultimate Jutsu' yet for him to use, but you make a good point about using the Magnet Release in that form.

**shadowmwape**: No, Genji and Temari won't be a couple in this fic. Mainly because I'm trying to make it unique from all the other stories I've read.

**ForteOfTheBallad98**: I originally planned the love interest to be the airhead Yukata, one of several female filler characters to make the story unique in a way. Mostly because they're not used a lot. Of course, I can change the pairing to somebody else, but that's a long time away.

**Guest**: You don't have to worry about Genji receiving a curse mark from Orochimaru, he'll be thinking of several plans on how to avoid that. Or I could make it into a quest where it's a Game Over or **[Gamer's Mind]** becomes corrupted if he does receive it.

**War Sage**: He has four ongoing quests which are the following:  
[A Reunion with Mother Miya]  
[Watch out everyone, we got a genius over here in Suna]  
[From the Poor House to Economic Powerhouse]  
[Training with Goro]

**victimsofrage**: He'll be taking the Medic classes soon, but not yet because that type of class requires time and dedication to memorize all sorts of tidbits and medical information. His current schedule is limited due to attending the Academy.

**frytrix**: Yes, Genji will learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu and abuse the heck out of it. Although he'll discover some initial drawbacks. Just not now as he believes he hasn't amassed enough CP to use the Jutsu without dying.

**littleditto**: Thanks for pointing out the mistake.

**Im not Itachi**: I didn't do any research on what's normal or impossible on how far kids can run without any problems. I'll probably change it to make it five laps instead. He'll be able to see a person's stats and detailed information when **[Observe]** is maxed out. This'll probably happen by the time he's 12~13 years old.

**phantom4021**: This story will be an AU/Alternate Universe cause I'm planning on derailing Canon.


	12. Chūnin Exam Finals and Graduation

**Disclaimer:** **Familiar characters and references you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Chūnin Exam Finals and Graduation**

**January 12: Wednesday**

It's the day of the Chūnin Exam finals and I'm excited to watch the proceedings. Though I'm sure I'll face some sort of repercussions due to this decision.

I've been a bad boy today, since I decided to skip my school classes to attend this special event that comes around once every few years. Even when there's an important event like this happening, classes are still in session.

I'm only skipping one day of classes just so I can potentially learn some useful Jutsu for my shinobi career. To make sure I'm not sent back to the Academy by some meddling adults who might recognize me, I bought some expensive clothes and items.

Here's what I'm currently wearing and the bonus effects with the complete set.

**Young Noble's Lucky Headdress - Rank: Superior**

**-A fancy cream colored hat which protects the sides, top, and back of the wearer's head and neck from the elements. The area around the forehead is golden yellow which makes the wearer feel a little lucky. **

**+Durability: 100**

**+2 DEF and +5 LUK.**

**Young Noble's Lucky Shemagh - Rank: Superior**

**-A square piece of creamy silk meant to protect the wearer's face from sunburn, dust, and sand. Its edges are golden yellow colored as well.**

**+Durability: 100**

**+2 DEF and +2**** LUK.**

**Young Noble's Lucky Necklace - Rank: Superior**

**-A golden cable chained necklace with a shiny Sapphire gemstone as the fancy centerpiece. It shows the world you're wise due to Sapphire's properties, rich, and not afraid to flaunt it.**

**+Durability: 500**

**+5 WIS and +5 LUK.**

**Young Noble's Lucky Robe - Rank: Superior**

**-A delicate loose-fitting robe made of comfortable silk fabric. It's mainly a creamy color with golden yellow highlights around the collar, trim, and hem. It has extra-large sleeves and extends downwards to the wearer's ankles.**

**+Durability: 100**

**+2 DEF and +3 LUK.**

**Young Noble's Lucky Geta - Rank: Superior**

**-Thick wooden platform sandals with two teeth on the bottom and sized for a young noble's feet. They're casual and practical shoes for keeping the hem of your robes high and dry off the ground.**

**+Durability: 100**

**+5 AGI and +5 LUK**

**-100% LUK for one day if the strap on the Geta breaks.**

**Ding!**

***Due to wearing the complete set of the Young Noble's Lucky Series, some bonus effects are applied to the wearer. These are only applied when wearing ALL of them pieces of the set.***

**Passive Aura Effect:** **Young Noble -**** Merchants will treat you with utmost courtesy and respect in order to gain your patronage. Those within the upper echelons of society will be respectful, since your attire basically screams "WEALTHY" to them.**

**+50% chance enemies will believe you're easy pickings or underestimate your power level.**

**+25% LUK.**

I found these in a sales stall manned by a trader hailing from the Land of Silk. I never heard of the place, but it's one of many small countries doing business here to make money.

The geta took some time to getting used to because of the clanking noise. I could've used **[Silent Steps]** or **[Muffled Movement]**, but my cover will be blown.

Due to these items, my LUK increased to 166.25. But it's only temporary though because I'm not going to wear them like my normal everyday clothes.

After that, I used the **[Transformation Jutsu]** to change my face into a snooty young noble. Technically, I just copied and pasted the smug face of Aizen from Bleach. Though I had to modify it repeatedly so it'll match a 13 year old's facial features.

To finally complete my disguise, I also imitated the behavior of a rich noble brat who boasts about himself and walks around without fear because of his hidden bodyguards. This helps me level up **[Deception]** for future infiltration missions.

Thanks to **[Environmental Resistance]**, I can keep my cool, calm, and collected look while wearing these clothes underneath the burning sun. Although when I look at myself, I look like a Japanese knockoff of Prince Ali from Aladdin without the purple, pants, and swirly shoes.

Hmm, what else did I buy?

Well a ton of things for sure. If I regaled over everything after fighting Zomboss Gatō, then I'd be talking all day long. So I'll just list the notable items I purchased worth mentioning.

The first off the top of my mind is several Icha Icha Paradise Books in brand new condition personally signed by the Perverted Sage, Jiraiya, himself. Also including the newest releases, the illustrated versions of Volume 1 with pictures. Oh yeah!

Thank you merchant from the Land of Fire for bringing this wonderful treasure to Suna. A bandit group attacked the merchant caravan carrying part two of this work of art, so I never got the chance to buy it.

Although the stubborn man tried to dissuade me from buying them, I eventually succeeded due to bribing him with 25,000 additional Ryo. Despite the book saying it's only for people who are at least 18 years old, he allowed the sale to happen because CHA-CHING!

The entire stock of water balloons and rubber balls numbering in the thousands for future Rasengan and or Shape Manipulation training? Check!

Superior ranked blood red body armor from the Clan War Era? I can't actually wear it right now because the prerequisites are 300 STR, 500 VIT, and be at least 13 years old.

But the bonuses from this is why I bought it. +50 DEF and +25% damage reduction? You're damn right it's worth the money, even though it comes with a -20% AGI penalty.

Next are the specialty items of superior and unique quality from the blacksmith salesman originating from the Village of Artisans. A place that is proud of making quality tools for its clientele.

I checked them out and they do have quality workmanship. So I bought 50 pieces of superior ranked kunai, shuriken, and senbon each.

I also bought three pairs of tetsu geta, also known as iron sandals. The weight varies between 3 kg, 4 kg, and 5 kg. They're like ankle weights in a way and are usually worn during regular martial arts training.

Three gunbai uchiwa fan made entirely of solid Chakra conductive metal with a little opening at the bottom of the handle. The large one requires 300 STR to wield it effectively in battle, while the two smaller ones requires 100 STR.

The final item bought from this merchant was a Chakra conductive metallic whip sword. It's basically an adjustable sword with daggers connected by Chakra metal wire going through the center.

The wire in the center controls the blade's movements as it can expand and be shot at the enemy. It's like **[Chakra Threads]** in puppetry, but with an actual weapon.

Due to the large amount of money spent buying all these products, the blacksmith gave me his address and contact information. It's basically his business card just in case I want him to make any more weapons in the future.

I could understand why he did that, since his village is facing hard times like Suna. Why should a Hidden Village travel cross country to buy and receive weapons, when they can hire local blacksmiths to make it for them? It's a case of quality versus quantity.

From Wood Country, I purchased multiple stacks of logs, lumber, paper, and ink. All of this will be useful for training **[Calligraphy]** and **[Fūinjutsu]**. Also a supply resource for future puppet designs I'll experiment with to see what works and what doesn't.

Several different plants, soil, and fertilizer from the Land of Tea. Why go to the land of Tea, when I can grow my own tea leaves if my desert farm idea actually works out.

Finally on my list of notable items purchased is something that came out of Lightning Country, specifically Kumogakure. Its Killer B's VHS rap video tapes and memorabilia signed by the rapper himself!

Yeah, I bought them simply for the laughs. Not to mention it stupefied the merchant because nobody else showed any interest in them.

Thanks to my unlimited inventory, I can be a hoarding kleptomaniac. No need to be worried if I find something valuable and couldn't store it because no room like in some RPGs.

Not to mention it's the perfect place to hide my growing Icha Icha collection and my mother would never find it. Inventory OP, please never nerf!

All in all, I spent around **3,250,000 Ryo** on all these items and more.

However, I have a long walk ahead of me to get to the event's venue. On the opposite edge of Sunagakure's main entrance between two cliff faces, there's a vast sea of sand constantly moving and flowing like real water.

This particular area is called the Shifting Sand Sea. It's also used as the next level of training for graduated students to refine their **[Sand-Walking]** skills on actual moving sand.

The Chūnin Exam finals are held in a stadium at the very top of a towering rock pillar at the midpoint of an eight mile long dam holding back the Shifting Sand Sea like a reservoir.

From what I've heard about the stadium from eavesdropping, it's a 1,000 meter tall skyscraper made of solid rock. The completely enclosed circular stadium at the very top is 150 meters high and can seat 75,000 people as well.

There are hundreds of buildings sitting on gigantic shelves of stone jutting out of the pillar along with staircases added to connect the different levels. These additional features are in the shape of a haphazard helix going upwards.

To get to my destination, I have three ways to travel there. The first method is to walk on top of the dam itself to the pillar. This is the poor man's option.

The second is to pay a boatman and ride in a specialized sailboat that floats on and sails across the sand. Those with at least 500 Ryo to spend can go for this option.

Lastly, there's rich man's option via the Gondola lift. Suna actually has a gondola system to ferry passengers high in the sky to the pillar.

The problem is none of these three options takes you to the very top where the stadium is. They all drop you off at 150 meter mark meaning one has to ascend a 700 meter staircase to get to stadium's entrance.

Where's an elevator when you need one? Does the Elemental Nations even have one?

It's a good thing I left early at 8:00 AM because all three of these options will take time. For me however, I chose the rich man's option and paid 10,000 Ryo for a two way ticket pass aboard a gondola carriage.

The slow journey in the sky took approximately 30 minutes to move from the edge of the village to the pillar. Most of my time was spent staring through the window in curiosity of this unique dam.

Instead of water rushing from the floodgates, it's actually sand. A quick **[Observe]** on the dam itself told me the dam uses falling sand to turn the specialized turbines connected to metal shafts, which generates electricity.

The electricity generated is used to power all of the electrical facilities on the rock skyscraper and the entire village of Sunagakure. The dam has large parapet walls to prevent any idiots from falling off into the drastic drop off on the opposite side of the reservoir.

When I stepped off the gondola, there were several large TV's hanging everywhere which displayed the finalists and their matchups. People and shinobi of multiple nationalities mingled and discussing who is going to win, food stalls selling delicacies like Sand Dumplings, and vendors hawking their rare wares.

I asked some adults around me where I can gamble money on the event. All of them directed me to a nearby building only 30 meters away.

Once inside, I saw several tellers and heard unfamiliar lingo being tossed around. There was a large sign above each teller stating: Please have your money ready in hand.

Up on the walls are enormous TV's displaying the numbers assigned to each participant.

**1: Iruka Umino of Konoha**

**2: Ittan of Iwa**

**3: Shibuki of Taki**

**4: Tsubusa of Suna**

**5: Mizuki of Konoha**

**6: Iwashi Tatami of Konoha**

**7: Suname of Sunagakure**

**8: Hikaru of Kumo**

**9: Sajin of Suna**

**10: Morio of Iwa**

It then transitioned to display the tournament bracket, pictures of each contestant, and their odds of winning. So far from what I'm seeing, Tsubusa is the favorite to win followed by Mizuki.

While trying to figure out what's going on, I heard nearby employees yelling about free booklets about gambling.

"If you're unfamiliar with gambling, please pick up a booklet to understand the gambling process! It's free, doesn't cost any Ryo, and will make your gambling experience more enjoyable!"

A free book which could be a skill book too? Better go get one then.

Once I approached a worker, the man's attitude suddenly shifted. The man bowed to me, plastered what looked like a fake smile, and said in a polite tone of voice, "Hello young master. Here's a booklet about gambling, which also includes detailed information of the participants too. May you have a wonderful day!"

In accordance with my false appearance, I replied with a dismissive "Hn!"

As I turn away, I noticed the worker's face shifted into a slight scowl, but he retained his fake smile. Sheesh! It sounds like the dude rehearsed that kind of speech in front of mirror to avoid offending someone.

Are most of the nobles here really that haughty along with a stick up their ass? Maybe.

Opening the book, the first page is titled **[Gambling for Beginners Explained] **and I read it over to understand what's going on. Basically, there are two types of bets.

First is the straight wager. Simply pick one shinobi who you believe will come in first, second, or third. It explained about WIN, PLACE, SHOW, and ACROSS THE BOARD bets.

The second is the exotic wager. This kind of wager allows you to gamble on multiple shinobi in a single bet, enabling you to increase your profit potential. They're harder to win than straight bets and require much more skill and are expensive if you're not careful.

The guidebook continued explaining what an EXACTA, QUINELLA, and TRIFECTA are. After that, the next pages were dedicated to give the reader detailed information about each finalist.

It shows their picture, mission record, and power rankings. The power rankings display the following: Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu, Intelligence, Stamina, and Speed.

Then I got a bright idea. I proceeded to head into the nearest bathroom, entered a bathroom stall, and locked the door to ensure what I'm about to do with some privacy.

Pause. Abyss Auction. Skill books/Manuals.

On the auction site, I searched for a book which will teach me the gambling skill. I found a book called **[The Art of Gambling]** for 10,000 Ryo.

**Your purchase has been delivered and deposited straight into your inventory. **

**Thank you for your business!**

Resume. Withdrawing my newly purchased book, an alert notified me.

**Would you like to learn the skill**** [Gambling]?**

**[Yes] or [No]?**

Yes.

**Ding!**

**Gambling (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-You know when to hold 'em, fold 'em, walk away, and run. The gambler in you allows you to make better decisions in games of chance or skill, investing, or situations with high stakes like your life to win.**

**+1% WIS and +1% LUK**

**+1% better at gambling.**

**+.95% chance of winning any game.**

**+.80% chance of winning a blind or random bet.**

Finally! A skill which increases my LUK has appeared. It even has a passive WIS bonus boost as well.

Who do I think is going to place in first, second, and third? After rereading the participant's details again, I believe in first place will be Iruka, then Mizuki for second, and Tsubusa for third.

Why would I pick Iruka over Mizuki even if the latter is stronger? Because Mizuki is easily angered and seems to be jealous of Iruka for some reason. This event could be one of these reasons.

My pick for third place is Tsubusa due to the fact all the other contestants aren't very impressive. He has a decent track record, above average Ninjutsu, and good Taijutsu parameters.

The other two participants from Suna, Suname and Sajin are loser picks. People usually say don't judge a book by its cover, but my gut is telling me these two are nothing but cocky generics with average skill-sets.

Besides, Tsubusa looks like he's dressed for success. Especially with his Happuri facial armor similar to Tobirama and Kakashi's face mask.

Remembering the booklet's explanation, I'm going with an exotic wager and place a trifecta bet with who I mentioned earlier. The main question is how much to gamble?

To hell with it! Go big or go home.

When it's finally my turn to talk to the human teller after waiting in line, I placed my Ryo on the counter and said, "100,000 Ryo Trifecta on 1 and 5 and 4."

"Thank you, here's your ticket. Please remember you need your ticket to claim any prize money if you win. Have a nice day!"

Double checking the paper to make sure it's correct, I began the arduous journey to the stadium at the top. After two hours of walking, I arrived at the stadium's base by 10:30 AM. I also gained **+1 VIT** for my efforts.

The stadium is circular shaped, brown colored stone, and has one main entrance. The entrance is also guarded by four Jonin shinobi over level 160.

Showing the guard my ticket to enter, I climbed another 50 meters to get to my seating. The terraced seats went upwards to about 90 meters and the remaining 20 meters is for VIP seating.

Ten meters below my front row seat is the area where the finalists are supposed to wait for their matches. Their teammates and Jonin instructors can also be there for advice and support.

As for the combat arena itself, it's a circular-shape made of solid stone square tiles around 3 meters tall. While waiting for the action to start, I pulled out my telescope to see the finer details such as the arena's specs.

I also played I-Spy on the people in the VIP seating. The people around me found my actions a bit weird, but they chalked it up to the whims of an eccentric rich kid.

At 12:00 PM, I found some very important people. The first is the Kazekage Rasa in his formal robes with shinobi guarding nearby him. The others are the various Daimyo including the Wind Daimyo of Wind Country along with Samurai for protection detail.

They were easy to distinguish due to their formal robes and fan shaped hats. Let's check out the Kazekage and his current stats first. Observe.

**Name:** Rasa

**Level: **192 / **Age:** 34

**Class:** Yondaime Kazekage

**HP:** 12,900 / **CP:** 23,600

**Titles:**

**[The Kazekage]** (+1000 Fame, Ruler of Sunagakure, able to access anything restricted including Kinjutsu, and able to command any shinobi of Suna no matter their rank. Also can participate on any ranked mission.)

**[Experienced Veteran]** (+10% INT when fighting in war and +20% skill effects related to leadership skills.)

**Status: **Normal, **(Desert Fighter: **+10% to all stats except LUK when the user is in a desert region or mountainous terrain**)**, and +100 DEF.

**Rasa is a highly intelligent and talented man with a ruthless utilitarian mindset. He has a habit of placing a 'value' on people and things. He deeply cares about the well-being of his village and family and will do anything to prevent Sunagakure's extinction.**

**He has the Magnet Release bloodline in which his version can manipulate Gold Dust. Rasa is strong enough to subdue the rampaging One Tailed Shukaku multiple times in the past using either his Gold Dust or Water Release Jutsu.**

** He's been put into many difficult situations due to his predecessor's disappearance and the corrupt Wind Daimyo that reduced Suna's budget. Despite some mistakes as the Kazekage, he's a strong shinobi and is always developing new techniques for the betterment of his village.**

If Orochimaru can kill this Kage who's at level 192, then I can safely conclude with absolute certainty on one thing. I need to be stronger than level 192 before Akatsuki shows up at Suna.

Now what about the stats of our oh so glorious leader of Wind Country? Observe.

**Name:** Sawara

**Level:** 10 / **Age:** 44

**Class:** Wind Daimyō / **Affiliation:** Wind Country

**HP:** 1,650 / **CP:** 1,200

**Titles:**

**[Wind Daimyō]** (+2000 Fame, Ruler of Wind Country, Authority and dominion over the Kazekage of Suna.)

**Status:** Normal, **(Lazy Bones:** -15% DEX and -30% AGI**)**, **(Ignorance is Bliss:** -25% INT &amp; WIS**)**, and +20 DEF.

**A corrupt irresponsible man who doesn't know the suffering he's causing to his country's own military forces. Sawara believes that by signing the alliance treaty with the Fire ****Daimyō****, he doesn't need to rely on Sunagakure as much since Konoha's shinobi are superior in quality and perform missions for less pay.**

**With the monetary savings, he can spend money for other activities like hosting more extravagant parties, late night rendezvous with ladies, and etcetera. Just recently, Sawara is considering hiring an organization with a 100% mission success rate and does missions even cheaper than Konoha.**

Sawara is indeed a dumbfuck. Who would've thought otherwise? I checked out the other Daimyō as well and they aren't as stupid as him.

From the description about an organization, it's probably Akatsuki. Some of the other Daimyō are already employing them, assuming the organization is them.

Before the clock hit 12:20 PM, all the finalists appeared in a line at the arena's center along with a generic proctor. Their levels were between 50 and 61.

Then sounds of fireworks exploding in the sky indicated the start of today's special event. Rasa stood up from his chair and spoke into a microphone to begin the introduction ceremony.

"Welcome everyone! Thank you all for coming to the today's Chūnin Exam hosted here in the Village Hidden in the Sand. We'll commence the final round matches for the ten finalists who made it through the preliminaries. Please watch them all to the end."

The audience started cheering and the proctor with his own microphone said, "Iruka Umino and Ittan please remain where you are, while we wait for the others to leave."

The judge motioned the two contestants to stand an equal distance between each other. Then the man chopped his right hand downwards and said, "Begin!"

**Quarterfinal Match 1: Iruka Umino versus Ittan**

The proctor jumped off the platform and match went underway. With my telescope I saw the match in great detail.

The Iwa-nin quickly performed some hand signs too fast for me to memorize and his fists were encased with solid rock similar to punching gloves. Ittan then rushed at Iruka, who was adopting a wait and see approach.

Iruka calmly withdrew some kunai from his holster and threw them at the unarmored areas of Ittan's body. Ittan briefly stopped to deflect the kunai with his stony fists.

With his initial attack failed, Iruka pulled another kunai and used it to defend himself. The Iwa-nin unleashed a barrage of blows using his fists, while his opponent calmly evaded them.

Ittan then used the same strategy again, but this time Iruka attacked as well. When Ittan missed his left straight punch, Iruka wisely slashed his kunai towards the upper arm unprotected with rock.

This attack gave Ittan a severe cut causing him to rapidly lose HP. Before he could retreat, Iruka used a leg sweep to trip his opponent and lowered himself quickly along with a kunai pointed at Ittan's throat.

The proctor then declared Iruka the winner and both contestants left to make way for the next contestants. While waiting for Shibuki and Tsubusa, I reviewed Ittan's Jutsu.

Frankly, I couldn't figure out some of the seals Ittan used for his rock fists Jutsu. He used a total of six signs and the first one is snake, but that's all I know.

Although I know one thing for sure. I believe I made the right choice in picking Iruka as the tournament winner.

**Quarterfinal Match 2: Shibuki versus Tsubusa**

From the data provided by the booklet, both shinobi are close combat specialists. Before the two fought, they used their Elemental Jutsu to form weapons made of the elements they specialize in.

Tsubusa uses the Sandstone Fist, a technique which gathers nearby sand onto their fists and then transforms into stone-made weapons. The sand on his left hand formed a shield and the other formed a medium sized sword.

On the other hand, Shibuki used a Water Jutsu which coalesced into a water sword. Their two swords clashed resulting in their weapons being ruined.

The sand sword absorbed the water which reduced its hardness, but it also dissipated water sword too. Thus both used their techniques to reform their weapons again.

The two of them repeated their clash, except Tsubusa used a quick shield bash to damage Shibuki before he retreated to create another water sword.

Dazed by the hit, the shinobi from Taki shook it off and formed another water sword. But this time, Shibuki started using ranged Water Release techniques launched from his sword swings.

In response, Tsusbusa stopped his Jutsu and threw several kunai with explosive tags on them. Shibuki sidestepped the projectiles and continued his ranged water assault.

The ranged warfare continued, until they realized they're at another stalemate. So both shinobi re-engaged in close quarters battle again.

Eventually, Tsusbusa's sand sword landed on Shibuki's right arm at the elbow. The blunt damage caused the Taki-nin to yell in pain as he felt the bones in his arm break.

Shibuki surrendered to his opponent due to being unable to form the necessary hand signs to use his Water Jutsu. Medical personnel came out and Shibuki left with them.

From Tsubusa's performance, I'm worried Iruka will lose against this guy. Twenty seconds later, Mizuki and his no name opponent started their match.

**Quarterfinal Match 3: Mizuki versus Iwashi**

Mizuki unclipped his Fūma Shuriken off his back and held it in his right hand as he charged towards Iwashi. Iwashi in turn pulled out a ninjatō and both of them attacked and defended against each other.

But from the exchange I'm currently seeing, Mizuki is winning the fight as he has little to no cuts compared to his opponent. He's taking advantage of his Fūma Shuriken's large size and weight to overwhelm his opponent.

Eventually, Iwashi surrendered after receiving a severe cut on his wrist. Mizuki's large shuriken isn't just for show as he's pretty skilled with it.

**Quarterfinal Match 4: Suname versus Hikaru**

The matchup for 29 year old Genin, Suname, turned out to be very bad for him. His specialization is scouting and he only knows Earth Release techniques. While his opponent, Hikaru, knows Lightning Release techniques.

The match basically played out like hide and seek. Suname will use an Earth Jutsu to hide under the ground, confuse his opponent, and make him fall for a traps.

Unfortunately for Suname, Hikaru doesn't fall for any of his traps and easily avoids them. Seeing that his opponent loves to hide under the ground, Hikaru used a Jutsu I didn't expect him to know.

With a Chakra enhanced leap in the air, he said out loud, "Lightning Release: False Darkness." A spear of lightning came out from his mouth into the form of a laser beam and struck the arena.

The Jutsu easily pierced the rock tiles and an explosion occurred. Suname's hiding spot was revealed and he showed signs of being damaged by the attack.

Before Suname could hide under the ground again, Hikaru used a Lightning Release Jutsu covering the ground in a spider web pattern. His opponent then became incapacitated by the electrical shock and Suname screamed in pain.

Hikaru kept his palm on the ground and continued channeling the technique to damage Suname with constant lightning. After many seconds of constant exposure, Hikaru stopped the Jutsu and Suname collapsed onto the ground face first.

The proctor declared Hikaru the winner and checked if Suname is still alive. Luckily for the Suna-nin, he's still alive but barely hanging in there if he doesn't get any medical attention soon.

Now I'm starting to think Tsubusa might lose to Hikaru. Shit! My bet might come out wrong.

**Quarterfinal Match 5: Sajin versus Morio**

Nothing strategically important happened as both engaged in a Taijutsu match. Both shinobi exchanged a series of blows, but their fight was a bit sloppy.

Saijin's Suna Taijutsu is at the intermediate level and I guess his opponent is intermediate as well. After Sajin got a lucky punch by squatting down and lunging upwards with a powerful uppercut, the battle evolved into ranged warfare.

Both shinobi threw kunai and shuriken at each other until they ran out of weapons. Then the re-engaged in close combat again slugging it out.

Sajin eventually triumphed over his opponent and both shinobi appeared in rough condition. Although I swear I've seen the lucky punch from somewhere.

AH! I remember! It's Aoki's special move, the Frog Punch.

If I get ever **[Fool's Act]**, then I could use it to temporarily confuse those who are familiar Frog Kumite, Frog Kata, or whatever it's called. Though my reason for not getting it yet is because the higher ups will question my sanity on why I'm acting out of character and may not teach me any Jutsu.

**Semifinal Match 1: Iruka versus Tsubasa**

Soon the semifinals started and the end result was Iruka winning the match against Tsubusa by holding him at knifepoint.

Iruka achieved this by using a seal less **[Substitution Jutsu]** to switch places with a kunai he threw at the beginning of the battle. Tsubusa deflected it, engaged in CQC with Iruka, and eventually forgot about it when Iruka used the Jutsu to get behind him.

**Semifinal Match 2: Mizuki versus Hikaru**

On the other hand, Mizuki threw several kunai with high powered explosive tags between his opponent and himself. This created a thick black cloud of smoke temporarily obscuring everyone's vision.

When the smoke cleared away, Mizuki was nowhere to be found. Hikaru assumed Mizuki is hiding like Suname did earlier and leaped into the air to use Lightning Release: False Darkness.

To Hikaru and my surprise, Mizuki popped out of the ground and threw more kunai with explosive tags at Kumo-nin before he could spit out his technique. Due to being in the air, Hikaru couldn't dodge the incoming projectiles.

Knowing he couldn't evade it, Hikaru tried his best to cover up his vital spots to minimize the damage and survive. The kunai exploded and Hikaru dropped downwards impacting the ground unmoving.

When I looked through my telescope, I saw him lying face up and it wasn't a pretty sight. There's metal shrapnel lodged on Hikaru's arms, stomach, and legs. He managed to avoid them hitting his face and heart somehow.

Mizuki was declared the winner and medics quickly carried Hikaru away for surgery to remove the shrapnel. Mizuki looked proud of his victory and reveled in the audience's cheers and praise.

**Semifinal Match 3: Iruka versus Sajin**

The next match ended with Iruka's dominating victory. With his high leveled **[Advanced Konoha Taijutsu]** style, he mopped the floor with Sajin's low leveled **[Intermediate Suna Taijutsu]**.

Sajin eventually surrendered and explained why he did so. He listed several reasons like low on Chakra and this might actually give him the chance to be promoted in the eyes of the higher-ups.

Most of the audience hoped Sajin would miraculously defeat Iruka and beat Mizuki in the finals. But they were disappointed as the last hope of the country couldn't do it.

**Final Match: Iruka versus Mizuki**

Before the match started, Iruka and Mizuki stared at each other. Mizuki felt confident he could win against Iruka and finally get the recognition he rightfully deserves from the Hokage.

Iruka remained calm, collected, and confident with his chances of victory. He didn't expend as much stamina, Chakra, and effort compared to Mizuki. Namely because the only Jutsu he used is Substitution.

When the match began, both rushed forwards and attacked or parried with their weapons. Iruka with his trusty kunai and Mizuki with his Fūma shuriken. Neither of them giving their opponent an inch.

The battle then shifted from close-range to mid-range with each ninja throwing small shuriken at each other. Mizuki used a Genjutsu from what I assumed due to Iruka promptly saying, "Kai!"

Seeing his Genjutsu didn't work, Mizuki threw his Fūma shuriken at Iruka and along with some explosive tag kunai. Iruka replaced himself with a log to a nearby kunai avoiding the explosive projectiles.

This served as a distraction and Mizuki hid underneath the ground again. Noticing his opponent disappeared, Iruka remembered Mizuki's earlier tactics and applied some sort of paper tag on the ground.

Mizuki appeared from the ground in Iruka's blind spot tossing several explosive kunai at him. Iruka sensed the attack and evaded them easily.

Picking up his Fūma shuriken again, Mizuki recklessly charged at Iruka and it's another close combat fight. After three minutes of fighting, both ninja are covered in cuts and bleeding.

Upset because he hasn't defeated Iruka yet, Mizuki continued his onslaught with his oversized shuriken. But Iruka remained steady and defended himself with slight ease.

There were some chances where Iruka could've damaged Mizuki, but didn't for some reason. It's like he's trying to lead Mizuki into a trap.

My theory became true when Mizuki stepped near one of the Iruka's kunai on the ground which activated a trap. Black ink writing and symbols scrawled out of the paper before exploding and catching Mizuki off guard.

The surprise explosion damaged him, but not enough to knock him out. But the firepower didn't matter because Iruka rushed quickly and held Mizuki at knifepoint.

"Stop! The winner is Iruka Umino of Konoha. In second place is Mizuki of Konoha. And finally in third is Tsubusa of Suna!"

As the two leaf-nin shake hands, I can tell Mizuki is pissed he lost. He's just hiding it behind his fake smiling façade.

The match to determine third place didn't happen and Tsubusa automatically won the position. Namely because his opponent, Hikaru, is in no condition to fight any matches today.

When everyone stood up to cheer the tournament winner, I did as well clapping thanking Iruka, Mizuki, and Tsubusa for winning me a ton of money.

**[Gambling]'s level has risen by 1!**

**You've gained +10 LUK for guessing a Trifecta correctly.**

Would this have been possible without my lucky clothes? Maybe. Maybe not.

Though I'll keep the purple clothes for future infiltration mission or when I'm in a casino. But I'm disappointed I couldn't copy any Ninjutsu since the finalists weaved their hand seals too fast or had their back turned to me.

I've learned several lessons today. There's a difference between watching a fight in reality compared to watching behind a computer screen.

Another is your matches are being watched by the other finalists and will use your tactics against you. Case in point is when Mizuki copied Suname's hiding strategy, but attacked when he sensed Hikaru jump off the ground.

More fireworks erupted in the sky signifying today's event is over. I got up and quickly traveled down the skyscraper to claim my prize money at the gambling building.

When my turn at the teller came, I gave the employee my ticket. When she saw what type of wager and who I picked, she double checked the paper to make sure it's not a forgery.

After authenticating the ticket with other shinobi saying it's not a Genjutsu, she asked if I wanted my prize in cash or deposited straight into my bank account.

I replied with the cash option and she went to the back to get some assistance to bring me my money. Though thanks to her, I'll add that on my to-do list in the future. Opening a savings and checking account at the bank.

To my surprise, I severely underestimated how much money I actually won. She said I won a total of **1,375,000 Ryo** and it would've been less if the feudal lords didn't place a ton of money on their bets against each other.

Thank you rich feudal lords who love gambling their taxpayer's money away like candy!

I wonder if the tax laws here are the same as back on Earth? I hope they don't ask for personal information because how the hell am I going to explain to the Kazekage where I got the 100,000 Ryo to gamble away?

She placed all the money in two grocery bags and gave them to me across the counter simply as that. What a relief. Was it because of how I'm dressed or is that the way it works here?

I grabbed each bag and deposited them into my inner robes hiding the fact I'm depositing the money inside my inventory space. While walking back home after exiting the stadium, I remembered all the foreign merchants will be packing up and leaving. So I better go shopping before they do so.

Browsing through the items in my inventory, I decided to sell the **[Noble's Coin Purses]** I've collected so far from the Zombie Bandits I've killed. When I found a merchant willing to buy them all 20 purses I had, he gave me 5,000 Ryo for each one making me a total **100,000 Ryo**.

Right after selling the purses, I walked away and detected several people following me. They've been at it ever since I left the gambling center with my money.

Remembering cliché situations like this from other stories, I decided to go into the nearest public restroom. Whoever these idiots are, they aren't ninja for they have sloppy stalking skills and a Civilian's Chakra reserves.

On the way to the loo, I thought of something devious and decided to add a little touch of troll to my plan. Entering the restroom, I went inside a stall and locked the door.

Next I used the **[Clone Jutsu]** to make a clone sitting on the toilet with my current appearance of a young smug Aizen. Detecting the approaching stalkers, I used **[ID Create: Empty ID]** to disappear into another dimension.

Did I take the easy way out of this situation? Yes, yes I did.

Making it back in my room, I used **[ID: Escape]** and did some Chakra Control exercises for the rest of the day. When bedtime came around, I hope I don't get reprimanded too much by Maki for skipping school.

I'm pretty sure she'll be understanding.

* * *

**January 13: Thursday**

Nope! I earned a lovely date, umm I mean a bothersome detention with her.

Her reasoning? To discourage me from starting a bad habit which other students may or may not copy. If only I knew the **[Shadow Clone Jutsu]** to have a clone attend in my stead.

During class, I've heard via gossip and eavesdropping that there was a public disturbance yesterday at the rock pillar. All thanks to one of my older classmate's parents working as security there.

The criminals claimed they were targeting an unattended rich young noble wearing cream colored clothes who won at least a million Ryo. They followed the boy, threatened him, assaulted him which turned out to be a clone, the clone disappeared, and they assumed he used **[Transformation Jutsu]**.

Thus they attacked the only other person in the bathroom, which just happened to be a Jonin doing his number two business. Authorities quickly arrested them and discovered they were bandits who were targeting easy prey who won tons of money. Though security couldn't find the young master draped in purple after searching everywhere.

Hopefully, the authorities don't connect me skipping class and my young master disguise together. Greed makes some people act on some stupid decisions.

Assaulting a Jonin and targeting a noble who could've had hidden guards? Morons of the year everybody. Of course, I got to make sure my own greed doesn't get me killed.

For some reason, Maki paired me with Kankuro again. Probably a request or a demand from Kankuro because he improved his Taijutsu significantly than last time. Unfortunately for him, he's no Shira and I beat his ass.

Though I have to give Kankuro some credit. He did put up more of a fight compared to our previous spars. Right when our match ended, an alert notified me.

**You defeated Kankuro in a practice spar!**

**+50 EXP!**

** A random skill scroll has been deposited in your inventory.**

Looking in said inventory, I found it was a **[Substition Jutsu]** scroll. I wasn't expecting much like a secret Jutsu, since Kankuro hasn't even graduated yet.

With this newfound tidbit, I planned on abusing this passive by challenging any Genin and Chūnin to practice spars in the future. But the real value I can see from it is when I defeat higher leveled opponents like missing-nin and Akatsuki and possibly have the chance to learn their trademark Jutsu.

* * *

**January 30: Sunday**

On this day in history of Suna, the Kazekage Rasa ordered Yoshimaru to kill Gaara. I didn't know when exactly it happened on the timeline, but I learned it was today.

Feeling Shukaku's radiating bloodlust and intense desire to kill everyone leveled up **[Sense Danger]** a lot even though I wasn't anywhere near the beast.

**[Sense Danger]'s level has risen by 3!**

Knowing I'll be in danger if I remained here in my bedroom, I ran downstairs. On the way down, I passed by Katsuo's assistants who told me to evacuate to the nearest emergency shelters.

Instead of heeding the assistant's advice, I went toward the event's origin. Usually, one's common sense would tell you to move away from the danger but I did the opposite.

On my way to see a glimpse of the one tailed beast, the skill EXP for **[Sense Danger]** kept rising and kept leveling up. I'm basically power leveling a skill by taking advantage of an impending crisis.

Soon I got close enough to see Shukaku itself towering over the buildings and let out a loud roar. Before I could even attempt to use **[Observe]**, a random Chūnin picked me up taking me to the nearest shelter because he thought I was paralyzed by fear.

Then the Chūnin left me at the bunker's entrance and ushered me to go inside along with the other civilians. Following the trail of moving people, I found myself inside a large room containing hundreds of people.

Civilians of all ages and Genin trying to calm them down saying everything's going to be all right. But what surprised me was actually seeing my mother in the same shelter as me by chance.

**You've gained +1 LUK for this random encounter.**

To make sure I don't fail the quest of **[A Reunion with Mother Miya]**, I hid behind several people for cover. Looking at her, I examined her current appearance.

She's in her late 30's, wearing decent clothes, and seems to be worried about something. Observe.

**Name:** Miya Kaguya

**Level:** 25 / **Age:** 38

**Class:** Civilian / **Affiliation:** Suna

**HP:** 4,000 / **CP: **4,550

**Titles:**

**[Experienced Chef]** (+25% tastier dishes and easily teach or train others the **[Cooking]** skill.)

**Status:** Normal, **(Desert Fighter: **+10% to all stats except LUK when the user is in a desert region or mountainous terrain**)**, **(Aquatic Fighter:** +10% in all stats except LUK when in an aquatic region or misty environment**)**, **(Spartan Trained:** +25% bonus to CQC skills**)**.

**Miya is a Kaguya clan member who left in self-imposed exile for not subscribing to her clan's beliefs. Another reason is the clan's Spartan-like culture and traveled into Wind Country before they decided to imprison her for her bloodline.**

**She loves her son, Genji, and worries about his wellbeing while working at her job. She feels regret being forced to leave him at the orphanage and desires to reconnect with her son. **

**In addition, she hopes he inherited her calm state of mind instead of her clan's thirst for battle and insanity. Recently, she managed to gain employment as the hostess bar's chef after impressing her new boss with her culinary skills.**

** Eventually in a few years, Miya will save enough money to readopt her son and take care of his needs.**

A hostess bar!? Isn't that the kind of place Jiraiya frequents or am I confusing it with a brothel?

But I'm glad she still cares and worries about me. I thought she'd be one of those kinds of parents who dumps a child at the orphanage and forgets about their existence.

Eventually after 15 minutes, a Jonin came around telling us it's safe to go back to our homes. People started praising the Kazekage and shinobi for managing to subdue the beast's rampage.

Due to today's event, **[Sense Danger]** leveled up a total of five times. I wonder how many levels the skill would've increased if it was the Kyuubi instead?

* * *

**January 31: Monday**

Despite the rampage of the one tailed beast yesterday, I still had to go to school. There was a publicized list of people who died yesterday on the newspaper and the citizens of Suna mourned for them.

On the list was Yashamaru, a Jonin of Suna and uncle of the Sand siblings. Another Jonin dead because of the Kazekage's gambit.

The Kazekage claiming we're short on ninjas? Of course the village will be short if you keep sending numerous Jonin on suicide missions to kill Gaara.

I don't get it, the man is strong enough to kill Gaara so why doesn't he do the assassination deed himself? Is he emotionally compromised or something? Probably.

But I'm glad my milk supplier is still here. I thought with the Jinchurikki debacle, the foreign merchants would stay away from Suna but it didn't happen.

During lunch, I bought some milk at Sato's stall and asked why he didn't leave. His response?

"Why would I leave and abandon Emerald Valley's most profitable venture? Sure, the danger of the monster yesterday scared the hell out of me, but it's a bit lacking compared to the Kyuubi."

"But danger is a common factor in the merchant business. I have to cross the desert full of large monsters, bandits, and ninja to get here in this village. Merchants are driven by profit and there's profit to be made here.

In the **[Way of the Fan]** class, Temari was feeling down. I assumed it's because of her brother and dead uncle. So I left her alone not bothering to ask her for assistance on my fan katas.

* * *

**February 1: Tuesday **

Today marked the first of many days where Gaara willingly killed people trying to control his sand powers. I only knew about it due to reading a newspaper of yesterday's late night event.

The victims? A civilian family of three consisting of an obese man, his wife, and their bratty child.

It started with the father whispering to his son about the nearby Gaara and called him a freak. Then their son jumped on the insult Gaara bandwagon, despite the mother stating it wasn't a good idea to provoke the Jinchurikki.

The end result was Gaara turning them into some bloody smears on the ground and walls.

Authorities checked their records for any living relatives which they had none. They also investigated their house only to discover several documents of fraud, bribery, and corruption on the father. Fortunately, no abused little boys were found sleeping in the cupboard.

With this newfound evidence, Suna seized their assets to slightly lessen the burden of the cash strapped village.

* * *

**March 27: Sunday**

Today's my final training session with Goro cause in four days, the graduation exam will take place. I've gained a total of **+11 STR**, **+21 VIT**, **+9 WIS, 18 INT**, **+16 DEX**, and **+19 AGI**, and **+13 LUK** ever since January 3rd. This included the stats gained on the day of the Chūnin Exam finals and Gaara's rampage.

From hunting mostly Zombie Students and some Genin, I've accumulated **+109,755 EXP** and **1,569,375 Ryo**. Thus I leveled up from 19 to 21.

In January, Goro made me run 100 laps around the training grounds. Then 150 laps in February. And finally, he made me run 200 laps each session in March.

Despite being pressured by the increased workload, I endured Goro's rough training until today. So I was rewarded with stats listed above and milestone skills when surpassing certain limits.

Here are the exact notifications I received for each of them.

**Ding!**

** Your Strength stat has risen above 100 and some new**** skills have been created for this occasion!**

**Sturdy Skeleton (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-An ability given to Kaguya clan members with the [Dead Bone Pulse].**

**+25% decreased chance of status effects related to broken or fractured bones.**

**+20% durability of bone items produced and extracted from the body.**

**Power Rush (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-Whenever the user's HP drops below 5%, their attack power is increased by 25%.**

**Ding!**

** Your Wisdom stat has risen above 100 and some**** new skills have been created for this occasion!**

**Iron Metal Detector (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-An ability given to those who have the [Magnet Release] bloodline, which enables the user to detect any substances or metallic objects with iron in them ****within a certain radius of their person.**

**+Current Range: 5 Meters**

**Perception (Active) Level: MAX**

**-Allows the user's brain to efficiently process fast paced movement and also boosts their sensory awareness. The user can choose which particular senses to boost depending on the situation.**

**+20% increase to one, some, or all senses of the human body.**

**Ding!**

** Your Intelligence stat has risen above 200 and some**** new skills have been created for this occasion!**

**Medium Chakra Capacity ****(Passive) Level: MAX**

**-An ability given to those who have more than 6,000 CP.**

**+Chakra based attacks are 10% stronger.**

**+5% CP reserves**

**Psychokinesis (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-An ability to move or levitate things, objects, or people with your mind alone.**

**+Flat Activation Cost: 100 CP**

**+Maintenance Cost: 200 CP per minute.**

**+Current Range: 5 Meters**

**+Current Weight Limit: 10 pounds**

**Ding!**

** Your Dexterity stat has risen above 200 and a new skill**** have been created for this occasion!  
**

**Lock On (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill allowing the user to prepare themselves mentally and physically so the next thrown projectile against a target will not miss and hit dead center.**

**+Flat Activation Cost: 50 CP **

**+Requires 15 seconds of preparation time.**

**+100% accuracy boost and a****lways results in a critical.**

**Ding!**

** Your Agility stat has risen above 200 and a new skill**** has been created for this occasion!**

**Shadow Stalker (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-Sometimes, a shinobi must be able to stalk their target silently and efficiently by hiding themselves within the shadows.**

**+5% stealth when following someone within 25 meters.**

**+10% stealth when the user's body is entirely under a shadow.**

When my WIS surpassed 100, I suffered from a temporary headache before it disappeared. Then I felt a little wiser like a fog was lifted off my mind.

Due to my newfound wisdom, I started questioning my past decisions. What use is Taijutsu and Genjutsu against someone who can summon two fucking meteorites?

No amount of STR I'll get will be able to lift those objects from space. Genjutsu is mostly useless against the Uchiha and some of the end-game bosses.

Well technically, I could use a Genjutsu against an Uchiha if I affect a sense other than their eyes like smell, hearing, and such. But to survive in this world, it's all about Ninjutsu and Fūinjutsu.

So the answer to surviving the 4th Shinobi World War is maxing out both of my bloodline limits, with my **[Magnet Release]** a priority above the **[Dead Bone Pulse]**. However, I know that Taijutsu and Genjutsu are nice supplementary skills for those who are skillful against Ninjutsu.

Hopefully, the **[Sturdy Skeleton]** skill will evolve into a stronger version at higher STR levels. **[Power Rush]** will be very helpful for future boss battles.

**[Iron Metal Detector]** sounds useful so I wouldn't fall for any booby traps using metallic trip wire. **[Perception]** helped make using the **[Body Flicker Technique]** easier to the point of Goro allowing me to use it within the village.

While he did say I couldn't use it earlier in fear of colliding against someone, I skirted around that restriction easily. All by using the skill in the empty replica of Suna inside my **[ID Create: Empty ID]**.

Due to noticing how my stats are increasing rapidly, a small part of me began to worry about accidentally becoming the Kazekage instead of Gaara. They usually install the strongest ninja as the Kage, but I don't want to purposely limit my growth. That'd just be the epitome of stupidity.

Another thing I forgot to mention was the creation of the **[Bladed Weapons Mastery]** after **[Sword Mastery]**, **[Kunai Mastery]**, and **[Dagger Mastery]** all rose above level 10 and combined together. It took some time, but I managed to raise it to level 15. Here's the new skill's current description.

**Bladed Weapons Mastery (Passive) Level: 15 EXP: 30.33%**

**-A combination skill enabling the user to wield a weapon with a bladed edge and perform various combat techniques, katas, and movements effectively and efficiently. These bonus effects only apply when wielding a weapon with a bladed edge.**

**+10% DEX**

**+150% attack power and +75% attack speed.**

**+15% decreased damage when blocking enemy attacks.**

Anyways, I met Goro at Training Field 50 for the final time and he promptly made me do 196 reps of exercises and a 200 lap perimeter run. For some reason he had a desert hare in a cage, but I didn't know what purpose it'll serve.

Then we did a quick final review of all the topics I've learned for the past year before testing me with the exact same tasks during the quest **[Show your moves]**.

Pointing at the weapons range with his cane, Goro said, "Today, you're going to show me how much you've improved compared to last time and see if you're prepared to graduate. Let's get started on weapons accuracy with thrown projectiles."

After throwing five kunai, shuriken, and senbon at the target on the log, he made me repeat the exercise again while running. Once done, Goro tallied up my results.

But I'm proud to say none of my weapons completely missed the log. 11 in the bulls-eye, 15 near the center, and the remaining four on outside edges of the target.

"Great! You're weapons accuracy is 90%. Do you have a D-ranked Genjutsu you'd like to demonstrate that'll momentarily distract your enemies?"

"Yes Goro-sensei."

I obeyed and used **[Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique]**.

His stoic expression turned into one of deep sorrow and regret. He broke out of the Genjutsu five seconds after I activated the technique.

**[Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique]'s level has risen by 1!**

Show **[Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique] **skill.

**Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique (Active) Level: 2 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A single targeting Genjutsu created from the deepest fears residing in a person's heart, shows them to the target, and they're ensnared by the illusion. Results will vary depending on how traumatizing their fears are.**

**+Flat Activation Cost: 300 CP**

**+1% chance of knocking the target unconscious.**

**Hand Seals: Snake → Rat**

"Well, that's certainly a D-ranked Genjutsu. Now perform the Transformation Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu, and Clone Jutsu. And if possible, then do them without creating any smoke."

After successfully using each one smokeless, Goro told me to go through all the katas of the Suna Academy Taijutsu style.

"Your Advanced Suna Taijutsu isn't quite perfect yet, but it's good enough to pass the Academy. Now follow me to the rest building to take your written practice exams."

A few hours later, I finished answering the test questions and I ate my lunch while he graded the papers.

"Your average score on the exams is 94%. I recommend brushing up your memories on local plant life before the exam day. Now it's time to see you destroy my sand clone in a practice spar outside."

The clone and I fought, but thanks to my weekend spars with Shira, the opponent was no problem at all. Goro's sand clone was easy to destroy due to it imitating an Academy graduate's level.

Using a combination of **[Chakra Reinforcement]** and **[Power Strike] **whenever the fake Goro showed an opening, each hit resulted in the clone's body losing clumps of sand and using Chakra to patch itself together.

Eventually, the clone collapsed into a clump of sand after its HP dropped to 0. Though this result also confirmed the limitation of **[Jutsu Lottery]**.

Defeating a clone of a shinobi doesn't reward me with a random skill scroll. It seems I have to defeat the actual person in battle myself.

Goro cleared his throat to get my attention and I stood up straight.

"Congratulations kid, you successfully completed nearly all the objectives I've tasked you to accomplish. Continue practicing the Basic Academy Jutsu and your Advanced Suna Taijutsu."

"I know what you're thinking. How can one improve the Basic Academy Jutsu beyond doing those smokeless?"

"Well, how about using them without any hand seals? Only then will you be considered a true master of those particular Jutsu."

"In addition, I challenge you to be creative with your future techniques. I want you to think outside the box and apply yourself to use Jutsu in ways nobody has thought of so far. Because if you're predictable, then you're more easy to beat."

"But I have one final lesson to teach before I dismiss you. It's a given fact shinobi will encounter death in some shape or form on the field. Whether it's you killing your enemies or your comrades dying to fulfill the mission, you'll see it eventually."

"Now listen up! I'm going to teach you about projecting your killing intent. Sometimes you'll encounter numerous weak enemies trying to assault you on future missions such as escorting a merchant caravan."

"So you unleash your killing intent and project your intentions to the attackers to comply with your demands of backing off or die a most painful death. This is done by releasing Chakra from your body, using negative emotions like wrath to reinforce the intent, think of ways to brutalize your enemy, and your intense desire to watch the life fade from their eyes."

"Since I've explained how it's done, it's your job to figure it out by. Use your killing intent to intimidate this desert hare I have in a cage right here."

**-100 CP!**

I glared at the rabbit and imagined throwing a kunai at it, but Goro shook his head implying it's not good enough.

"More Chakra and desire to kill!"

**-200 CP!**

"Again! Make the rabbit feel your wrath and how you'll cause its death!"

Obeying his instructions, I released more Chakra while imagining the bunny's death via slicing its throat with a kunai and it bled to death.

**-250 CP!**

**Ding!**

**A new skill has been created for intimidating your enemies with the promise of pain or death to come.**

**Intimidate (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-Your deathly gaze and dangerous presence induces caution and fear into those who look upon or are around you. Depending on the level difference between you and your target(s), the result will apply different negative status effects.**

**-The user can adjust the level of their glare so they won't severely scare their friends and allies. ****Consecutive uses on the same target lessens the chances of them being affected.**

**+Flat Activation Cost: 200 CP per person targeted or 1,000 CP to emit a 5 meter wide Area Of Effect that'll linger for 1 second.**

**+Those who are 1 to 24 levels below yours receive the status effect (Cautious: -5% STR, +5% WIS, -5% DEX, and -5% AGI for .5 second).**

"As expected of someone of your caliber", stated Goro looking at me with pride.

"Boy. No... I mean Genji. I'm proud to say that you have been one of the best students that have trained under me. You'll be my crowning achievement and my final legacy."

"Now go out there and graduate in first place of this year's generation. There'll be consequences should you fail because your results reflect my teaching skills."

**Your relations with Goro has increased by 100!**

**Your relations with Goro has advanced from [Neutral] to [Friendly]!**

"Oh! Here's a recommendation letter just in case the pansy Academy teachers prevent you from taking the graduation exam. Also here's my address if you want to visit and ask some questions."

**You received the items [Goro's Recommendation Slip] and [Goro's Home Address]!**

"Goodbye Genji, don't forget to study and practice!"

Goro concluded his speech and he flickered away from here for the last time.

**Quest Complete!**

**Objectives: **

**1: **Achieve an 80% accuracy rate on throwing ninja tools. **Achieved!**

**2: **Achieve an 85% average score on written practice exams. **Achieved!**

**3: **Defeat Goro's Sand Clone in a Taijutsu spar as it imitates an Academy graduate's power level. **Achieved!**

**Bonus Objectives:**

**1:** Learn and use a D-ranked Genjutsu. **Achieved!**

**2:** Be able to use the three Basic Academy Jutsu without creating smoke. **Achieved!**

**3:** Reach **Level: MAX** in **[Advanced Suna Taijutsu]**. **Failed!**

**4:** Reach **Level: 30** in **[Throwing Mastery]**. **Achieved!**

**You've gained 4,500 EXP!**

**You've lost the title of [Goro's Pupil]!**

Using my own **[Body Flicker Technique]**, I went to the Academy to spar with Shira before going home for the day. Then I started brainstorming potential ways to utilize my current Jutsu before going to bed.

* * *

**March 28: Monday**

During today's history class, Maki lectured us on the famous achievements of the Kage of the other major hidden villages in the past. She talked about Minato Namikaze and how he decimated 1,000 Iwa shinobi during the 3rd Shinobi War.

Maki eventually talked about Konoha, Iwa, Kiri, and finally Kumo. But what caught my attention is the achievements of the 3rd Raikage A.

A fought 10,000 shinobi single-handedly for three consecutive days and nights. Even though he died at the end of the battle, he's renowned for his extraordinary durability, endurance, and strength above all else.

Assuming the 3rd Raikage didn't have a wink of sleep during that time, it made me question myself. What kind of video game character am I?

Am I the type that can function 24/7 without sleeping? I never noticed as an infant because I slept to pass time faster. So I decided to test this theory by doing an all-night reading session tonight.

When class finally ended for the day, Maki let us know one final announcement.

"Before I let you all go today, those who are taking the graduation exams will meet in Room 205 next Thursday at 8:00 AM. Be sure to remember bringing your gear and supplies required for the survival test."

"These next few days during my lecture will be a quick final review on what's going to be on the exam. For those who want to graduate early, please see me after class is over. You're all dismissed for today!"

Approaching my teacher, I tell her "Maki-sensei, I want to apply for the graduation exam."

She didn't seem surprised by my desire and tried to dissuade me in a polite tone to let me down softly.

"I'm sorry Genji, but I think it's best if you hold off on graduating."

She then tried persuading me to graduate later on, but I already heard this speech from Goro. I gave her **[Goro's Recommendation Slip] **to interrupt her rambling and let the slip do the convincing for me.

Maki became puzzled for a bit, but turned serious the moment she saw the official seal of the Kazekage. She opened it and stared at me with wonder.

Then she coughed to correct her voice, and stated the following in a serious tone.

"With a recommendation from Goro and by orders from Kazekage-sama himself, I'll allow you to take the graduation exam. Make sure you're up to date with your studies and pass this go around or you'll graduate at 12 years old like everyone else."

"Thank you Maki-sensei, see you next time!"

After washing the dishes, I bought several books to read such as local fauna, physical fitness, and others from Honda's General Bookstore for 15,000 Ryo. Time to start reading.

* * *

**March 30: Wednesday**

So far today, I haven't experienced any drowsiness or felt the onset of fatigue forcing me to sleep ever since Monday night. I've heard some shinobi can stay awake for more than 24 hours, so my theory of not needing sleep hasn't been confirmed.

But I've made an interesting discovery in one of the books talking about physical exercise. The author of the book listed why you shouldn't skip leg day.

His reasoning was, "A well-developed lower body will allow you to exert a maximal amount of force in a minimal amount of time, which in turn makes you faster and more explosive."

This led me to thinking about getting a membership in a workout gym, but I later questioned if the Naruto world even has exercise gyms. From what I've seen so far, the technological capabilities of this world is confusing as fuck.

I've recently found a shop selling TV's, Video Cassette Recorders, VHS tapes, radio, and wireless radio headsets. So I don't know if they have gyms, and gym equipment, and whatnot.

Guess I'll have to ask an adult shinobi about that. Though I'll probably be denied membership in a fitness gym, until I become a Genin.

Namely because this world views graduation from the Ninja Academy as a coming of age ceremony. I know about this since I saw the parents of last year's graduating class celebrating with their children by taking them out to dinner or doing something special.

However in school, I've became the main topic in the school gossip or rumor mill. Word circulated around of me taking the graduation early even though I'm only seven years old.

Probably because of me handing Goro's slip with an official Kazekage stamp and in full public view of the other parent's picking up their children. Everyone was speculating what my relation with the Kazekage was.

Some classmates of mine ostracized me, namely those losers like Tsuchino and his friends who'd rather play football than practice Chakra control. Most didn't care, while a few suddenly went from antagonistic to supposedly friendly.

Although I know what they're doing thanks to Goro's lessons. The one's who treated me harshly are trying to establish friendly relations with me.

They're doing this because their parents know I'm going to become a big shot in the future. But I still replied to them in a humble and polite manner.

As for the notable student's opinions and thoughts on my graduation attempt? Reactions were varied.

Daimaru was happy because it meant I spent less time with his 'Temari-chan' and it gave him more time to woo her. 'Lady' Saya didn't bother wishing me good luck because she believed I'd pass the exam due to my superior skills. Her two lackeys agreed with her like the Yes-slaves they are.

Kankuro was annoyed due to someone younger one upping him. Temari on the other hand was puzzled as to what kind of deal I've made with her father. She didn't bother asking me because she wanted to find out for herself.

The three bullies, Datsuji, Ryoji, and Goji praised me for being strong and wished me good luck on the exam. When they said "strong", they were making a dig at Shira.

Shira however, was happy but I also saw some sadness too. I was confused at first on why he'd be sad, but then I thought of it from his perspective. This allowed me to believe he's thinking it'll be the official end of our friendship.

So I motioned to him to meet with me during lunch and informed him about his wrong conclusion. I explained I'm still willing to spar and hangout with him whenever I have free time available on my future schedule.

Shira mentioned he might be expelled from the Academy and I replied I'd still be his friend and assist in his shinobi lessons myself. I didn't promise him about convincing the Kazekage to allow him to become a shinobi because I don't want to make a false promise.

The stubborn leader may not allow it even if I have Naruto's **[Talk no Jutsu]** skill. Besides, it'd make an excellent surprise present if I gave him the news myself about how my **[Speech]** skills convinced the Kazekage to allow Shira to become a shinobi as a special case.

My reassurance of our continued friendship naturally increased my relations with him, and a bit with Sen and Yome who were eavesdropping on our conversation.

They might've tried hiding behind the corner, but I detected them with **[Sense Presence]**. Goro's training made sure I'm not ignorant of my stalkers. Besides, those two girls preferred hanging out with Temari and admire boys rather than hang out with them.

* * *

**March 31: Thursday**

Today's the day of my graduation exam and I'm ready to go. I've gone without sleep for four nights and I've confirmed I don't really need to sleep. So I can consider it as an emergency backup option for removing severe status effects.

Since Wednesday night, I used the extra hours to refine my skills and refresh my memory. Before I left my dorm, I made sure to remove all my Iron Sand weights so I'll have access to my full AGI.

Arriving in Room 205 at 7:50, I dropped my survival gear in the front of the classroom for inspection.

All the older students stared at me and I stared right back analyzing my competitors. The lowest level was 18 and the highest was 24.

Some of them looked at me with derision thinking I was getting too big for my britches. The others were neutral and more focused on passing the exam.

As I made my way to the front row seat, I then found my main competitor in graduating at the top of the class.

**Notice Me Everybody**

**Level 24**

**Nobu**

Nobu doesn't have much going for him in the appearance department, but he's the highest leveled student in this room. Observe.

**Name:** Nobu

**Level:** 24 / **Age:** 12

**Class:** Academy Student / **Affiliation:** Suna

**HP:** 2,600

**CP:** 5,050

**Titles:**

**[Suna Ninja Academy Student]** (+20% increase in proficiency towards learning academy subjects and skills)

**Status:** Normal, **(Desert Fighter: **+10% to all stats except LUK when the user is in a desert region or mountainous terrain**)**, **(Average Joe:** +25% Stealth**)**, and 10 DEF.

**A young boy who's trying his best to stand out with his efforts, but his generic qualities make him easily forgettable like a background character to the general public. The only exceptions are his family, friends, and some acquaintances.**

Is he easy to beat? Maybe.

Depends on his skill levels and not his character level. At 8:00 AM sharp, our examiner showed up and it's surprisingly Maki.

"Attention everyone, I'll be passing out your tests sheets. There will be no talking during the exam. Anyone caught cheating will get a zero and fail this portion of the exams. You have three hours to finish and you may start once you receive your paper."

Once the paper was placed in front of me, I wrote my name at the top and started answering the questions with ease.

**Question 1)** Fill in the blank: Who is the founder of the puppet art of Sunagakure? **Monzaemon Chikamatsu.**

**Question 2)** What are the three main Shinobi Arts? **Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu.**

**Question 3)** What is the unofficial fourth Shinobi Art considered by some? **Fūinjutsu****.**

**Question 4)** What are the five Elemental Chakra Natures? **Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water.**

**Question 5)** What is the title of Sunagakure's leader? **Kazekage.**

**Question 6)** Anko has 800 dango and ate 90 each day for seven days. What does she currently have? **170 Dango.**

**Question 7)** It has been several sunny days ever since Team 7 departed from their ninja village escorting a merchant caravan. Along the caravan's path, they see a puddle of water, but ignore it. They are later ambushed by several high caliber ninja and the caravan's cargo has been destroyed. What went wrong? **The team ignored a puddle of water when it obviously hasn't rained in several days as the weather was sunny.**

.

.

Answering all the questions on the test to the best of my ability, I finished the paper test in two hours. I was tempted to write a smartass answer for question six saying, "Anko isn't an Akimichi; therefore she's fat and has diabetes."

But I chose not to because I want all the points I can get. So for the remaining one hour, I honed my **[Meditation]** skill.

"Time's up! Please stay seated as I come around to pick up your tests." Once she was done, we moved on to the next phase of the test.

"Now everyone follow me to the target range for the ninja tool test. When I call your name, please step behind the desk and throw ten kunai and shuriken each at the human scarecrow target."

"First up is Akira!" She then proceeded to call out the student's first name in alphabetical order and I watched everyone else throw theirs. Some tried showing off by throwing several projectiles simultaneously, but messed up and hit off target.

So we're not being tested on throwing weapons while moving? This'll make this portion of the test a cinch.

Soon enough, she finally reached my name. "You're up next Genji."

Rather than throwing all of the weapons simultaneously, I threw each of them one by one at the scarecrow's face. Then repeated the same procedure with the shuriken, except aiming and hitting the scarecrow's heart and upper chest.

"Alright everyone, we're going to now test your Chakra Control and Jutsu. As I call out your name, please proceed into the nearby open field over there. For those that haven't been called, please remain here until I do."

When it was my turn, I got up and went to the testing site. Arriving at the field, I see Maki and Saki about ten feet away from me. There's also a tall rocky wall and a 20-foot long sand pit reminiscent of the one you see on long jumps.

"Okay Genji, start off with the Transformation Jutsu. Please transform into either one of us or somebody you know."

Deciding to have a little fun, I used the required Jutsu and remembered the details of the person I'm copying. The voice, the gray hair, the stern intimidating visage, and tone of voice.

Covering the room in smoke momentarily, the smoke dissipated revealing I transformed into Goro-sensei himself.

"Hrmpph! What are you standing around for!? Drop down and give me 100 MAGGOT!"

"Very funny Genji, next is the Substitution Jutsu.", said Maki sarcastically.

"Now then. I'm going to throw this blunt kunai at you and you'll switch places with this chair. Alright?"

Right after nodding to her statement, she tossed the kunai at a leisurely pace, and I switched with the chair to avoid taking the hit.

"Okay. Please show us three or more clones using the Clone Jutsu."

"Maki-sensei, do I get bonus points for creating more than three clones?"

She shook her head meaning there's no point in showing off. So I used the **[Clone Jutsu]** to form three clones like she asked. Then she proceeded to tie me up in rope to see if I mastered the **[Escape Jutsu]**.

The next task is to use **[Rock-Climbing]** and scale the two story rock wall and then use **[Sand-Walking]** to walk across the sand pit without leaving any footprints.

Succeeding at all the tasks assigned to me, Maki then told me to go back to the classroom and wait for everyone else to finish.

"Okay class, please follow me to the sparring rings."

She then explained she'll pair us with one random student who'll be our sparring partner. We have a total of three minutes to either defeat our opponent or remain standing at the end.

Then after finishing our fight against our classmate, we'll spar against a Chūnin who'll simulate a higher level opponent we might encounter on our missions. We either have to land a clean hit on the Chūnin or remain standing for three minutes.

Surprisingly, she paired me with the highest leveled student for my partner which is Nobu. Both of us stepped in the ring and gazed into each other's eyes.

Nobu interrupted the silence by saying, "Let's have a good match." I nod in agreement as the both of us are determined to be number one and won't give the each other a handicap.

After forming the seal of confrontation, Maki started the match and the two of us fought.

I waited for Nobu to attack and evaded his attacks. Analyzing his Taijutsu, he's around level 50 of **[Advanced Suna Taijutsu]**. Even though mine is level 96, I can still lose if I make too many mistakes.

An opening presented itself when Nobu overextended his right straight towards my face. Capitalizing on his mistake, I sidestepped to my right and struck back with a left handed open palm strike to his stomach.

**-200.09 HP!**

He grunted in pain and tried retaliating with a right hook towards my temple. In response, I countered with a right uppercut to his jaw after ducking underneath the hook.

**CRITICAL! -300.14 HP!**

As I continued to evade and counterattack, I realized time is running out and wanted to end this quickly in my victory. When Nobu pulled his right hand back to his body after a missed jab, I implemented my plan.

I attacked with a one two combo in which my opponent blocked them. Right when my second punch landed, I quickly used a right low kick empowered with a **[Power Strike]** targeting his left knee's backside.

**-103.4 HP! -153.4 HP!**

**-50 CP! CRITICAL! -579.15 HP**

Nobu grimaced in pain, but he didn't fall down. Seeing he didn't go down as expected, I launched a right straight at his face.

My opponent shifted his body to avoid it, but he fell for my feint. This allowed me to strike with a low kick from my left leg in the same area I've struck earlier.

**CRITICAL! -300.14 HP!**

**You inflicted the status effect (Weakened Left Leg: -10% AGI).**

This time, he fell to the ground and tried to get up quickly. But before he could, I maneuvered myself behind his body and placed him in a chokehold like one usually sees in the Metal Gear series.

Though I did this without holding my opponent at knifepoint. Nobu tapped the ground repeatedly signaling to the teacher he surrenders.

"Stop! Both of you stand with the others who are waiting for their turn with the Chūnin."

**You defeated Nobu in a Taijutsu spar!**

** A random skill scroll has been deposited in your inventory.**

Releasing Nobuo from my grasp, both of us made the seal of reconciliation. He then congratulated me on me winning and I replied with thanks for not giving me a handicap.

While watching the Chūnin fight, I saw the students passing this portion by evading or enduring the older ninja's blows. None so far from what I've seen or heard from my classmates has landed a clean hit on the man.

Observe.

**Name:** Tomo

**Level:** 60 / **Age:** 22

**Class:** Low-Chūnin / **Affiliation:** Suna

**HP:** 5,600

**CP:** 9,900

**Titles:**

**[Chūnin]** (Allowed access to E, D, C, and B ranked Jutsu in Suna Library's restricted section. Can participate on D, C, and B ranked missions with a team. As a squad leader, can command Genin on missions whenever the Jonin in charge is dead or incapacitated.)

**Status:** Normal, **(Desert Fighter: **+10% to all stats except LUK when the user is in a desert region or mountainous terrain**)**, **(Lazy Bones:** -15% DEX and -30% AGI**)**, and 50 DEF

**A young man who is an assistant instructor at the Academy, loves the easy life, and prefers 'D' ranked missions that stay within or near the village. Tomo became lazy after being promoted to ****Chūnin and is slacking off on his physical training.**

While waiting for my turn against Tomo, I've formulated a plan of action against him. The key to ending this battle early is taking advantage of his lowered AGI.

Soon enough, Saki called for me to get into the ring with Tomo and I got into my battle stance ready for anything.

When she started the match, the young man rushed me with a compact right jab towards my chest. Easily evading the attack, I allowed him punch and kick a few more times to analyze his moves.

Tomo is certainly faster than Nobu, but unlike my fellow classmate, he isn't taking this seriously. Watching the incoming right straight towards my stomach, I parried the strike to the side and retaliated with my own right straight.

Before my punch made contact, the Chūnin leaned backwards to lessen the damage done.

**-65.05 HP!**

Knowing Saki won't end the match since it's not a solid hit, I continued attacking my opponent. I've landed several glancing blows, but those hits don't count.

But it's all part of my plan. Make Tomo get used to my current movement speed before boosting my AGI temporarily with **[Chakra Reinforcement]**.

With 1:45 left on the battle timer, I took the initiative to change the flow of battle.

**-50 CP!**

Using the aforementioned skill to speed up, I rushed forwards and sent a left straight punch at him.

When I saw him raise his guard, I stopped my punch and followed up with a leg sweep powered up with **[Power Strike]**. While Tomo wasn't surprised by the sudden change of pace, he did fall for my feint.

**-50 CP! CRITICAL! -576.32 HP!**

Sweeping the Chūnin off his feet, I moved forwards to attack until I heard Saki say "Stop!"

**You defeated Tomo in a Taijutsu spar!**

** A random skill scroll has been deposited in your inventory.**

Going back to where the rest of the class is waiting, I checked my inventory to see another two **[Substitution Jutsu]** scrolls. Oh well.

Those who ostracized me with their glares earlier were now accepting that I have some skill. Eventually the fighting portion of the exam was finished and Maki proceeded with the next portion.

"Attention everyone, we will soon begin the Wilderness Survival Exam. Go pick up your survival packs you brought today and follow me to the testing site."

Picking up my bag and making doubly sure no idiots didn't tamper with it, the class and I followed Maki. To my surprise, the testing site wasn't a training ground inside the village, but outside instead.

We entered through the single cleft between two cliff faces and I saw the vast expanse of desert outside of Sunagakure. A pop-up appeared upon taking my first step outside.

**You have exited the village you've grown up in and seen a small portion of the world outside your village.**

**[World Map] feature has been unlocked.**

Along the way to our destination, I toggled the mini-map to see the world map. It functions like certain video games I played where places you've been to will be visible and those you haven't will be covered in a white smoky fog.

After walking what I believe to be around a mile at least, I saw a long stone wall surrounding a vast land. I used **[Observe]** on the vast area before me to see if there's anything special to read about.

**Field Dungeon: Arid Desert**

**Monster: Giant Antlion Larva**

**An area specialized for testing the graduating Academy class on their navigation and survival skills. It also tests whether they can traverse the terrain by themselves without any assistance from a teacher or adult.**

**The area used to have no monsters, but a giant antlion larva has recently taken up residence here. There are other dangers as well such as the many deep sand pits and**** several different cacti where some are safe to consume the water stored within them and others are dangerous.**

Huh? Used to have no monsters?

Stopping before the gate, Maki spoke up listing off the next set of instructions.

"Listen up everyone! Each and every one of you will be starting out at a different gate, so you'll have to rely on your own skills and knowledge. You'll use a compass and a map with given directions to navigate through the environment towards to the designated campsite."

"In addition, each of you will be given a special sealing scroll and signal flare. If the signal flare malfunctions, then activate the scroll. Only use these two items if you want to bow out of the exam should it get too tough or dangerous for you. Any questions? Genji, what's your question?"

"Are there any monsters in this area? Like for example uh, a giant antlion larva?"

Some of my classmates started snickering in derision before Maki hushed them up.

"Nope, there aren't supposed to be any monsters here at all. A shinobi team has inspected the area a few days ago making sure of it. If there are no more questions, you're all going to draw lots to determine which gate you'll start out at."

My lot was Gate 7 where I was handed a signal flare gun and a sealing scroll. A quick use of **[Observe]** told me that when the scroll is activated, it summons a Shinobi to the activated scroll's location. So the scroll given to us is like the ones Team 7 uses to summon Iruka during the Chūnin Exams.

Using the wilderness survival skills I've learned under Goro, I followed the directions listed on the map. Along the way, there were several cacti of various types.

Drinking some of my water, I refilled my canteen with the water of the cacti safe to drink from. Hydration is key in hot climates like these.

There's also several cacti which causes a hallucination lasting around five minutes if you drink from it. While it's not safe for consumption, it's a good idea to level up my **[Herbalism]** skill. So I harvested those which caused negative effects, so I can use them in future poison concoctions.

After walking past the field of cacti, I encountered an area littered with giant sand traps and depressions before me. I searched for a way around them, but the only way available is through them. Using **[Sand-Walking]** to maintain my balance on the shifting sand, I proceeded through a couple of pits.

When I crossed the 6th giant pit, the sand suddenly started flowing downwards towards the middle of it.

**Hidden Boss Battle Event!**

**Boss Battle: Giant Antlion Larva **

**Aren't you lucky? You unknowingly entered the boss's arena of this open dungeon.**

**You've gained +1 LUK for this random encounter!**

**KILL OR BE KILLED!**

Well shit! Does LUK run either ways or something? Observe!

**Giant Antlion Larva**

**Level:** 50

**HP:** 40,000

**CP:** 5,000

**Status:** Normal, **(Hardened Carapace:** +50 DEF**)**, and **(Paralyzing Pincers:** +50% chance of inflicting Major Paralysis**)**.

**A gigantic insect known for its fiercely predatory habits at the larvae stage of development and digging huge pits to trap passing prey. Once the prey is secured within their hollow jaws, they suck out the life juices and flick away the husk out of the pit when they're done.**

I used **[Observe]** on the antlion's mandibles and found it has a powerful status effect I need to avoid at all costs. This effect is **(Major Paralysis:** **Paralyzes the afflicted target for two seconds at random intervals lasting a day long)**.

The gigantic antlion attacked using the following attacks: Swinging its giant mandibles, toss up large amounts of sand, using its large legs to stomp me, or use a body slam to crush me.

Evading the attacks is easy. The problem is paying constant attention to my current position and maintaining enough distance away from the insect.

I could've used **[Iron Sand: Desert Suspension]** to float above the shifting sand, but it tries pummeling me with large amounts of sand when my feet aren't touching the ground. Besides, it's easier to dodge its melee attacks.

Since it's too dangerous to get in close, the key to winning this is long range attacks. So I summoned tons of Iron Sand from the environment and my chakra-infused version in my inventory.

Why use my **[Magnet Release]** bloodline in public? It's going to be revealed sooner or later on future missions, so why limit myself for this battle?

Not feeling chivalrous or particularly nice, I forcefully inserted both regular and chakra-infused black sand in its mouth all the way to the stomach.

**-170 CP!**

Once I felt there's enough inside, I clenched my hands to activate my crushing skill and continued to do so repeatedly.

**-425 CP! CRITICAL! -2,707.35 HP!**

**You i****nflicted the status effect (Severe Bleeding: -150 HP per 10 seconds).**

**-425 CP! CRITICAL! -3,845.31 HP!**

**You i****nflicted the status effect (Ruptured Insides: -250 HP per 10 seconds).**

**-425 CP! CRITICAL! -3,845.31 HP!**

Checking my current CP reserves, I concluded I don't have enough Chakra to continuously use **[Iron Sand: Crushing Maiden]** to bring its HP down to 0. At most, I can use it another three times taking in consideration the Chakra cost of **[Sand-Walking]** and **[Iron Sand Manipulation]**.

Grr! How the heck am I supposed to kill this monster with only three crushing attacks? At the rate it's bleeding to death, it'll take at least 15 minutes, so what else can I do?

Evading another body slam by the antlion, I tried thinking of an alternative strategy. The only weak spot I've seen is its head.

How can I instantly kill it without waiting several minutes? Err, I've got it!

Why not try cutting its head off by crushing the neck area? Dammit!

Why didn't I think of this tactic when I faced the Legion Zombie? Probably because of my newfound wisdom taking effect.

Besides, nothing can survive with their head being chopped off in this world. Well except Hidan, but he's an exception to the rule.

Avoiding another pincer attack, I focused wrapping tons of Iron sand around the neck like a figurative hangman's noose. Once I felt there's enough sand enclosing the neck area, I clenched my fist thrice.

**-425 CP! CRITICAL! -3,845.31 HP!**

**You i****nflicted the status effect (Weakened Neck: -20% DEF around the neck area).**

**-425 CP! CRITICAL! -3,857.31 HP!**

**-425 CP! CRITICAL! -3,870.31 HP!**

**FATALITY!**

**You've gained +75,000 EXP!**

**You've gained +300,000 Ryo!**

**Your level has risen by 1!**

**Gained 5 spendable points.**

**[Iron Sand: Crushing Maiden]'s level has risen by 1!**

**You've gained +1 WIS for your decapitation strategy!**

The last use of my skill severed the antlion's head from its body and its HP plummeted straight down to 0. The insect's huge body collapsed against the ground and the sand stopped flowing downwards to the pit's center. At least I've confirmed decapitation really does kill most enemies.

Before I continued my journey, I harvested the antlion's corpse for ingredients and crafting materials. I received two **[Desert Fang]**, three full small bottles of superior ranked **[Paralysis Poison]**, and five **[Insect Carapace]**.

In addition, I manipulated and compressed the excess black sand into manageable shapes and stored them in my inventory space. Taking out my map and compass, I looked at the directions and started walking again.

Along the way to the campsite, I sometimes felt somebody spying on me at a distance of at least 80ish meters. It does make sense as they wouldn't jeopardize their future recruits by leaving them totally unguarded for rival village's to kill or abduct.

An hour of slow walking later, I finally reached the designated area as it was marked with a large two story pole flying a red flag. Checking in with the Chūnin stationed there on guard duty, they told me to set up my tent without help from the other students.

Entering the campsite, I've noticed there's a lot of students here. Counting the numbers, I believe I'm the 64th to arrive here.

Searching for a suitable spot, I set up my tent and double checked the stakes for any future sandstorms tonight. For the rest of the day, I practiced my Chakra Control exercises.

When midnight came around, I switched to practicing **[Meditation]** until morning of the next day.

* * *

**April 1: Friday**

In the morning, some of the teachers showed up inspecting our tents and evaluating those who made it to the campsite. Nobu then questioned the examiners if they'll get bonus points for arriving early at the campsite.

Unfortunately for him, the instructor said, "Nope! The order of arrival doesn't matter. The test was to see who successfully navigated the area with the given directions and then endure the wilderness for a day.

They then made us wait in the Arid Desert and endure the hot sun. They allowed us to gather water from nearby cacti which may or may not cause hallucinations.

Some of the students started yelling weird things and the instructors subtracted points from them on their notebooks. At 12:00 PM, the examiners ordered us to follow them back to the Academy in the village.

Once there, we had to return the sealing scroll and signal flare back to them. Then they told us to wait until 2:30 PM to hear our exam results.

When the specified time came around, Maki announced today's results.

"Okay students, I'm going to reveal the results of this room's successful graduates. Please come up front to receive your headband when I call your name."

Going through the names alphabetically, my name was eventually called.

**Ding!**

**The Title [Suna Ninja Academy Student] has evolved to [Genin]!**

**Evolved Title:** Genin

**Effects:** Allowed access to E, D, and C ranked Jutsu in the library's restricted section. Able to participate on D and C ranked missions with a team.

**Quest Complete!**

**You've gained 10,000 EXP!**

**Your level has risen by 1!**

**Gained 5 spendable points.**

** You've gained 50 Fame!**

**You received a [Suna Forehead Protector]!**

Sitting back in my seat again, I checked out my headband to see what bonuses I'll receive if I replace my **[Dark Blue Bandana]** with this. Observe.

**Suna Forehead Protector - Rank: Average**

**-A headband composed of a metal plate with the symbol of Sunagakure engraved in the center attached to a band of navy blue cloth. It's a symbol of pride to one's village.**

**+100 Durability and ****+5 Defense**

**+Increased relations with the denizens of Wind Country by 50% and people of foreign lands allied with Sunagakure by 25%.**

**+Decreased relations with those from Iwagakure and Kirigakure by 25%.**

This is pretty good, so replaced my current bandana with this over my forehead. I also made sure it covered up my Kaguya heritage using a small mirror I have on hand.

"Now that I've called everyone who passed, it's time to announce this year's top student of the graduating class."

.

.

.

.

.

"The top student is Genji with a score of 98%! Please give him a round of applause."

Everyone started clapping and those nearby congratulated me. Nobu was disappointed he didn't get the top spot, but he wished me good luck for the future.

"Also, everyone's exam scores have been posted in the Academy courtyard so please check it out if you're curious. But before everyone leaves, I have a few things to tell you about as official Genin of Sunagakure."

"Those who graduated will need to have their Ninja Registration documents in order and attend a photoshoot for the picture on your ID card. This needs to be done as soon as possible and can be submitted at the Wind Tower."

"You can also buy a flak jacket at the Shinobi Outfitters for those who want additional protection. Please meet back in this room on April 11 at 10:00 AM for team assignments."

I questioned Maki on why the ten day long break of nothing happening and Maki replied, "The reason for team assignments taking that long is to give your Jonin instructors time to prepare, sort out paperwork, and finish up any loose ends they have."

Everyone including me exited the room towards the courtyard where a lot of parents waiting for their children and browsing the scoreboard posters. To my surprise, I saw my former classmates staring at the score sheet and their reactions varied when they saw me.

Some had a look a disbelief because they believed I'll pass, but not achieve first place. Kankuro appeared to be constipated, while Temari was indifferent.

Saya nodded her head and Shira was happy at the fact my spars with him allowed me to beat my opponents. I smiled and waved at them with gratitude in return for their acknowledgement.

On my way to the courtyard's exit, I watched several students reveling and preening with their parent's praises. Some are mournful and their parents saying there's always a next time. Then there were those who pointed at me saying I'm number one.

Ignoring most of their stares, I used the **[Body Flicker Technique]** when I reached the exit. Not towards Katsuo's dorm complex, but to the Wind Tower to complete another quest.

A brief walk through the lobby and up several staircases later, I finally arrived on the floor of the Kazekage's office. Thanks to the directions of helpful shinobi who were watching my every move on the way.

The secretary behind the desk is different from last time, but I couldn't care less about her. She looked up from my paperwork and asked what I am here for.

"Hello, can I meet Kazekage-sama? My name is Genji and I believe he's expecting me soon. Maybe?"

She checked her list of appointments and special notices looking for my name.

"Okay Genji, please wait a moment for him to finish up his meeting with someone first."

After 10 minutes of waiting, a man in his 40's left the Kazekage's office. A quick use of **[Observe]** told me he's an informant to Rasa working in the current Wind Daimyō's administration telling him about the political climate in the capital.

"You can now see Kazekage-sama."

Immediately after I entered and closed the door, Rasa spoke up.

"It's you. Finally here to meet your mother?"

Straight to the point huh.

"Yes Kazekage-sama, I want to meet her."

Rasa motioned to one of his ANBU to bring her here and pushed forward some documents on the desk closer to me.

"Of course. While we wait for your mother to come, please fill out your Ninja Registration forms so I can approve them right here right now."

After reading the documents and checking for any tricky fine print or hidden clauses, I didn't see anything wrong. It asked for my name, clan status, parents, home address, and personal signature.

There were several agreements that stood out to me for becoming a shinobi of Sunagakure.

**No sexual intercourse with any foreign shinobi, unless they pledged their allegiance to Suna's interests and became my spouse.**

**I will not drink any alcoholic drinks until I'm 20 years old.**

**I pledge my allegiance to Suna and obey whatever my superiors command me to do so I can fulfill the mission.**

Before signing on the dotted line, I asked Rasa for clarification on clan status and home address. He told me to not worry about clan status until I'm 12 years old. For my home address, he said, "151 North Dune Road."

Upon signing the paperwork, Rasa alerted his secretary to bring in the photographer. Instead of standing in a ridiculous pose for my photo ID, I chose to go with my standard calm and indifferent look.

Hopefully, my enemies will underestimate my power level whenever I act out of character with **[Fool's Act]** in the future. It's not going to fool everyone, but it might against ignorant ninja.

While I was busy with my photo-op, Rasa was notarized my papers with his official seal. He then told me my Ninja Registration Number is 51-001 and to pick up my ID card tomorrow at one of the many desks on this building's ground level.

"Kazekage-sama, we brought the lady you asked for."

"Send her in."

My mother walked in and paused her movement the moment she saw me. She hesitated to speak for just a bit before questioning out loud, "Genji?"

"Mom?"

Miya hurriedly closed the gap between us and embraced me with a deep hug. She lowered herself with her hands on my shoulders so as to talk to me face to face at my eye level.

"I'm sorry for abandoning you at the orphanage my son. Money was an issue back then and I didn't have enough to take care of your needs properly. Genji, will you please give me the chance to make it up for you?"

Of course, I'll give her the opportunity after reading her description a couple of months ago. She could've just dropped me off at the orphanage and leave Suna, but she didn't.

"Yes, I'll give you the chance so please stop crying."

She wiped her tears of joy away with her sleeve and said, "Thanks Genji. You won't be alone anymore for you have me to take care of you."

"That's great! I can't wait to spend more time and learn more about you."

Miya smiled in appreciation of my comment and I spoke up about where I'm going to live with her. Cause I'm not going to live in her rinky dink apartment. She's going to move in with me to our new house.

"Are we going to live in the house Kazekage-sama is allowing us to live in?"

She seemed confused by my question and Rasa cleared his throat to get her attention. He then explained what kind of deal I made with him and while she seemed upset at first, she eventually accepted it.

**Major Quest Complete!**

**You've gained 5,000 EXP!**

** Your relations with Miya has increased by 100!**

Then he handed us two sets of keys, one for me and the other for my mother. Rasa explained these are the house keys to the home we'll be living in and how a Genin team recently cleaned the entire thing so we don't have to.

"Before the two of you leave, I have to explain some things to Genji first. A portion of your mission rewards will go to paying off the orphan loan and stipends you received."

"If you gain additional money somewhere during your missions, you could use it decrease the amount owed here on the first floor of the Wind Tower. In addition, taxes and house bills are also paid there as well. You two are free to go now unless you have any questions?"

"No, thanks Kazekage-sama."

Both Miya and I bow to the village's leader and exit the office. After we left the Wind Tower, I say to mother, "Can we stop by Katsuo's dorm? I need to go gather my stuff before moving in together with you."

She agreed and followed me to the dorm complex. While I went to my room and shoved mostly everything into my inventory space, my mother stayed in the lobby conversing with Katsuo.

I returned downstairs with a backpack to not look suspicious. In the lobby, I alerted Katsuo about what happened recently and handed back his room key. In return, he told me several things with a proud look on his face.

"Genji, you're one of kind. I thought you would've been another annoying kid who likes everything to be handed to them, but you proved me wrong."

"You had the curiosity and drive to become self-sufficient and worked hard to do so. Feel free to come back and visit as you are always welcome here. Good luck with your mother and new life. Goodbye Genji."

**Your relation with Katsuo has advanced from [Neutral] to [Friendly]!**

We both then went to Miya's apartment to get her belongings. I stored most of it inside my storage scrolls and some inside my inventory space when she wasn't looking.

On the way to our new home, we both talked to get to know each other. I learned that her birthday is May 9, favorite color is blue, and several other things. After 35 minutes of walking northwards, we reached the new home and I was a satisfied with what I see.

What does the house look like? Imagine taking a three story high bucket and flipping it upside down. That's what the overall shape of the house looks like. There's also several circular windows with wooden shutters on the building as well.

The property was enclosed by a stone wall and the main gate is a Japanese entrance made out of wood. Mother used one of the keys to open and we both explored our new dwelling.

We found a foyer, living room, a curved stair case that leads upwards to the upper floors, a couple of bathrooms, a large kitchen, and dining room. Exiting the backdoor into the backyard, I saw a vast empty plot of land.

How big do I think the house and the overall area of the property? From my estimations, the house seems to be around 1,500 square feet. The property itself is around the same size as Training Ground 50, so about ten acres give or take.

All this empty land is going to cost us more money than an apartment room, that's for sure. But I see several potential uses already.

It'll make the perfect place for Taijutsu sparring, build some green houses for rare plants, or maybe convert a portion into a farm.

A farm in the desert? That's crazy talk! Not really, cause it's possible.

With my money and current assets, I can afford creating a garden or farm. I'll just have to figure out a soil combination that'll work out here with this sandy ground, secure a water source, and find some plants that are drought tolerant or have some chance of growing in the desert.

It'll serve as additional income and if I'm successful, hire some Genin teams to do the watering for me when I'm away on missions. But that's in the future.

Both of us chose which bedrooms we'd like to sleep in located on the first floor. Mother chose the master bedroom which I didn't mind because she's my mother. I chose a bedroom near hers with a hallway separating us.

When it came time for dinner, we both left the premises because there wasn't any food in the refrigerator. Shopping in the market, I asked mother about tips about what to look for in food.

"Oh are you interested in cooking Genji?"

"Yes. Can you teach me what you know please?"

"Of course Genji, I'd love to teach you."

From there, she told me what to look for when selecting fresh produce and foodstuffs for cooking. Paying for the groceries and helping her carry it back home, we spent time together in the kitchen.

She showed me some recipes and actually let me help her cook like letting me cut up some vegetables with a knife. But she probably remembered that I'm a graduated ninja that is used to handling sharp tools.

**[Cooking]'s level has risen by 1!**

**[Dish-washing]'s level has risen by 1!**

Cleaning up tonight's dinner we both tucked in for the night. I chose to sleep tonight instead of hunting monsters simply because I'm paranoid that mom will probably sneak a peek at me sleeping tonight.

"Good night Mom!"

"Good night Genji."

* * *

**April 2: Saturday**

Waking up in the new house, a new notification popped in my face.

**Major System Update!**

**New and old settings have been added and reworked.**

**A title has been reconfigured into skill's bonus.**

**Some skill descriptions have been reworded.**

The heck? Am I playing a beta-version or a modified version of **[The Gamer]**? Looking at my character status, I noticed that the **[Bookworm]** title turned into the level 50 bonus of my **[Reading]** skill. The passive effects are still there, so I don't have to worry about switching titles when reading books.

There's also a **[Party]** tab on the Main Menu. Looking in the options menu, I saw a new feature called **Automatic Party System**. I can either have it turned on or off. The description says the following:

**People will join and leave your party automatically without you having to send an invite message they can see.**

Sounds good to me. Turning on the Automatic Party System and exiting the menu, I readied myself for the morning before going downstairs.

Most of today's activities was me spending my time all day with mom. Helping in the kitchen, setting up the table, cleaning the dishes, and such.

In fact, she asked me to buy some ingredients since she forgot to purchase them yesterday. Which resulted with a familiar quest popping up.

**Quest Alert!**

**Grocery Run**

**Mother Miya needs eggs, rice, chicken, and ketchup for some Omurice.**

**Time Limit: **30 minutes

**Quest Reward: **50 EXP, increased relations with Miya, and the cooking recipe for **[Omurice]**.

**Quest Failure: **No omurice and decreased relations with Miya.

**[Yes]** or **[No]**?

Accepting the quest, a quick use of the Body Flicker made finishing the task quick and easy.

**Quest Complete!**

**You've gained +50 EXP!**

**Your relations with Miya have increased by 5!**

The meal was delicious and I learned a new recipe after she explained the step by step cooking process. When night time came around, I sat at my desk brainstorming a new list of what I need to do to maximize my survival.

There's a high chance this world is an alternate universe meaning there's a slight possibility of the main character Naruto fails to defeat Akatsuki or last boss.

**Revised Solutions to Surviving Incoming Conflicts**

**1:** Become a Sage. However, I clearly remember it being stated repeatedly that one must have extremely large Chakra reserves and capacity to become a sage. Many fail, but the few that succeed are amongst the most powerful shinobi ever.

**2:** Focus on leveling up **[Iron Sand Manipulation]** and **[Dead Bone Pulse]**. Followed by **[Chakra Threads]**, **[Chakra Drain]**, **[Energy Drain]**, and maybe some elemental Jutsu.

**3:** Create custom Iron Sand Jutsu that can be both deadly and effective. I should start experimenting with my abilities and come up with some skills nobody in this world has ever seen before.

Maybe some inspiration or straight up copy techniques other Sand users from other Anime?

**4:** If there's a **[Medium Chakra Capacity]** skill, will it evolve into a large and extreme version later on when I have more INT?

**5:** Consider performing a reverse summoning so I'm summoned to whichever summoning clan that could teach me Senjutsu. Because I highly doubt the Snakes, Toads, and Snails are the only summon clans who teach Senjutsu.

**6:** Whenever I receive bonus points from now on, the ratio I spend them should be 2 VIT, 2 WIS, and 1 LUK. Another variation could be 3 VIT, 1 WIS, and 1 LUK. VIT is my dump stat from what I'm seeing so far, but I'll hold off spending any points on VIT since it'll be harder to raise at higher numbers.

**7:** Figure out what my elemental affinities are.

**8:** Ask for assistance on Fūinjutsu.

**9:** Buy medical textbooks in preparation for the medic program.

**10:** Max out **[Meditation]** before 12 years old.

**11:** Learn the **[Shadow Clone Jutsu]** as it's an EXP modifier.

**12:** Find a way to reduce **[AISD]**'s Chakra cost.

Done with my list, I jumped into my bed and continued meditating throughout the night.

* * *

**April 10: Sunday**

With all the available downtime between graduation and team assignment day, I wasn't sitting on my hands doing nothing. So this is what I did throughout the week.

The first thing I did was let mother know that I'll be out sometimes to train and that I'll come back by 6:00 PM. She understood since keeping up one's training is very important to staying alive and returning home from missions.

Secondly, I went to the Shinobi Outfitter store to buy myself a flak jacket. Seeing the armor in question left me very disappointed in its design.

While the brownish-beige color is something I can agree with, the armor lacked pouches to store stuff inside. I felt some temptation leveling up **[Blacksmithing]** and or learning the **[Tailoring]** skill to create my own custom flak jacket. But for now, I'll have to make do with what I've got.

**Suna Genin Flak Jacket - Rank: Average**

**A brownish-beige flak jacket vest fastened by a zipper. It lacks scroll pouches and shoulder padding, but makes up for it with a thick neck guard enveloping the entire neck.**

**+10 Defense**

However, the jacket comes bundled with some segmented steel arm guards.

**Steel Arm Guards - Rank: Average**

**Standard arm guards protecting the top part of a shinobi's hands all the way up to the elbow as they're important tools of the trade. Also comes with black fingerless gloves.**

**+10 Attack and +5 Defense **

I bought the two items for 7,500 Ryo and equipped the both of them. Though I had to reshape my Iron sand weights to accommodate them. They also sold the armor Chūnin usually wear, but I couldn't buy it until I became one myself.

The next objective after that was finding a fitness club to raise my physical stats. I asked any Shinobi above Genin rank if there's a place to exercise one's strength and stamina like a gym.

Several of them mentioned some minor gyms who offer cheap prices. Others mentioned if I wanted the gym with the best facilities, then I should get a membership at the Konami Fitness Gym.

After visiting all the gyms recommended to me and inquiring about their amenities, I chose the Konami Fitness Gym. It's open 24/7 except on special holidays and it's the only gym with a swimming pool.

Yes, a swimming pool. The pretty lady behind the desk explained how some shinobi enroll only for a month, so they can learn how to swim and walk on water. I expressed interest in getting a gym membership and she explained to me several types of memberships.

The lady was overly enthusiastic, had a slight hint of desperation in her voice, and tried using her sex appeal to reel me in like winking at me. I chose the month to month membership that allowed me access to all gym equipment and services they provided.

She said I'll have to pay an initiation fee along with the gym membership, but I get a discount since I count as a junior. The total amount summed up to 13,500 Ryo. 10,000 was for the initiation fee, the membership is 5,000, and the discount took off 1,500 off the total.

I asked her why the membership cost is that high. Her enthusiasm diminished upon hearing my question as if it's the usual deal breaker. She explained it's for upkeep costs of the equipment and the pool.

Occasionally, the gym hires Genin teams for D-rank missions to transport water from a large body of water across the desert to here for the pool. Or they pay some shinobi to use a Water Jutsu that can fill the pool.

So that's how they're getting their water without paying an exorbitant amount the water utility company sometimes bills. Her attitude brightened up when I filled out the paperwork and paid the full amount.

In return, I was given a gym membership ID card and she asked a nearby trainer to give a guide to the facilities. The physically fit man gave an extensive tour and explained to me several things to me such as what the machines are, how they work, the purpose of the machines, and what to do on the machines.

In addition, he explained about what classes the gym offers, where the classes take place, where to stretch, where to find the weight lifting equipment, the locker room, the shower room, the bathrooms, and the swimming pool.

When he was done, I asked for machines I could use at my age. There were some I couldn't use because I was too short, but I worked out on those I could use.

Under the trainer's constant supervision, I gained **+2 AGI**. After hitting the gym, I tried locating Goro's house. My reason for the visit was to thank him for his teachings.

Well it's not the only reason. The other reason was for him to teach me the Sand Clone Jutsu.

Once there, the both of us engaged in a friendly discussion and I've learned several things. He told me he knows all about my heritage, but won't divulge it because the Kazekage ordered him not to. Another thing he revealed was that he found me weird at first, since most Kaguya clan members are battle maniacs.

Eventually I politely asked him if he could teach me the **[Sand Clone Jutsu]**. Goro refused initially, until I explained that I wanted to create the Iron Sand version of the skill.

I pointed out that a clone made from the **[Clone Jutsu]** lacks substance, so it'll be hard to fool enemy shinobi with it. I also mentioned the special properties of the sand clone I saw during my spar with it.

It seemed my endeavor was going to end in failure, but **[Speech]** leveled up telling me I successfully persuaded him. He explained to me the process and the hand seals for the Jutsu.

After some experimenting, this is what I got.

**Iron Sand Clone Jutsu (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A versatile Chakra construct completely composed of Iron Sand which will not dissolve or vanish when damaged. It can reform itself as long as it has Chakra sustaining its form and can also hide within a pile of nearby Iron Sand for ambushes.**

**+The clone can envelope an object(s) or a person and trap them like a prison container. If it does, it consumes 100 CP per minute, while rendering the target immobilized.**

**+Activation Cost: 500 CP per clone.**

**+Clones have 1% of the caster's original stats and 500 additional CP.**

**+Clones will consume 50 CP to repair their body for minor damage and 100 CP for major damage.**

**+The Chakra constructs will follow the creator's intentions when they're made.**

***Clones become less effective if they're more than 5 meters away from the caster.* **

Thanking Goro for his teachings and leaving, I used ID Create: Empty ID to test something out. Inside, I formed an Iron Sand Clone and tried to see if I could store the clone inside my inventory.

To my surprise, the clone was actually accepted and stored inside. So broken! I can store an army of Iron Sand Clones.

**For finding out you can store clones inside your inventory space, you've gained +1 WIS!**

If I could store clones inside my inventory, then I can also store puppets I've built in there too. I won't have to carry a large cumbersome scroll on my back. I'll be known as a walking armory.

But can the same thing be applied to a Shadow Clone? That'll be a mystery to solve, until I amass more Chakra.

Another objective was locating a gambling den, pachinko parlor, casino, or any place where I can gamble money. Of course, I used **[Transformation Jutsu]** to mimic a generic adult and asked for information from various citizens as well.

There I found a gambling den and gambled some money away. Initially they refused to allow me in because I was child, until they saw my headband. Inside, I learned about the gambling game called Chō-Han and its rules.

Basically it follows this process. A dealer shakes a bamboo cup with two six-sided standard dice and then overturns the cup onto the floor.

Players place their wagers on whether the sum of the total number showing on the two dice will be "Chō" (even) or "Han" (odd). The dealer removes the cup, revealing the dice. The winners collect their money and dealer collects a certain percentage of the winnings.

The game was so simple that I decided to participate in it and gambled away 10,000 Ryo. A few hours later of sometimes losing and mostly winning, I left the den with **25,000 Ryo**, **+3 LUK**, and a level 5 **[Gambling]** skill. All those gains in one day too.

They also gambled on Shogi there, but I needed to read a how to book before attempting it. That way, I'll be gaining in the WIS stat at a place meant for raising LUK.

The final objective on my list was creating some new skills using my Iron Sand abilities. With my current arsenal, I'm lacking on range-based attacks.

Technically, my current skills are ranged but I meant is a hard-hitting projectile attack. So inside an Empty ID, I looked at my current throwing weapons and decided to create a shuriken made of black sand.

First create the weapon's shape, then compacting the sand to harden it, adding additional Chakra to maintain its shape during mid-flight. But then I realized I don't know how to actually spin and launch my newly created projectile, until I remembered my Chakra has magnetic properties.

Focusing on the floating shuriken, I tried applying the correct magnetic field to apply a spinning force on it. Then I experimented finding the right magnetic charge and eventually fired off the spinning shuriken.

It impacted against the wall and reverted back into regular iron sand. Repeating this again and again a few times more made a prompt appear notifying me of a new skill.

**Iron Sand: Spinning Shuriken (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A clump of Iron Sand shaped into the form of a shuriken, compressed to add density, spun to increase damage, and launched forwards using the repelling property of the user's Magnetic Chakra. ****An extra shuriken is generated for every three levels.**

**+Activation Cost: 200 CP**

**+Current Shuriken Amount: 1**

**+10% attack damage and 1 foot knockback per projectile upon impact.**

***Shuriken will revert back into regular iron sand after impact.***

Satisfied with this ranged ability, I tried to remember if there's anything else I can create. Remembering the Zomboss battle with all the mercenaries surrounding me, all of them were ground based enemies.

A crowd control skill would've been very helpful at that time to slow them down. Then I remembered something that I could use. It's something a certain long nose liar uses and a move from Pokémon that damages ground based enemies upon entry.

With my idea in mind, I gathered a large amount of sand and tried shaping a dozen small caltrops. The shape was three nails pointing downwards like a triangular pyramid with another nail going upwards at the pyramid's top.

So no matter how they land on the ground, a spikey point will always be pointed upwards. Once I created one, I tried creating as many as I can.

The next problem was figuring out how to make them scattered all over the place instead of one area. But it was easily resolved by remembering about magnetic charges.

I applied one half of the spikes with a positive charge, and the other half with a negative charge. Then I forcefully gathered them into one single point with them mixing all together, raise it up high in the sky, and letting it launch themselves.

Once again I was satisfied with my new creation and repeated the action until I gained a skill prompt. I created a new skill and the system asked me to name it.

I tried thinking of something, but nothing creative came to mind. So I just gave it a random name off the top of my head.

**Iron Sand: Nail Hell (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A crowd control skill for ground-based enemies by shaping a large amount of iron sand into multiple tetrahedron caltrops and compressing them to add density. Each of these stepping impediments are then given the same magnetic charge, forcefully gathered together into one spot, and dispersed in random directions once released.**

**-25 extra impediments are added for each three levels in this skill, while the duration increases by 3 seconds per level.**

**+Activation Cost: 1,000 CP**

**+10% attack damage per nail if it collides against an enemy.**

**+Enemies lose -10 HP per minute and -2% AGI per nail stepped on.**

**+Current C****altrop Amount: 25**

**+Time duration: 3 seconds**

**Hand Seals: Dragon **→** Rat **→** Ox**

***Nails revert back into regular sand when the time duration runs out or if the user cancels the skill early.***

This one came bundled with hand seals meaning I don't have to worry about experimenting with random hand signs to create new Jutsu.

On the day before April 11th, I focused leveling up both **[Iron Sand: Spinning Shuriken]** and **[Iron Sand: Nail Hell]**. The first to increase my damage output per projectile and the second to increase the time duration.

And on that night, I allowed my mother to read me a bed time story. Even though I've heard the story already back at the orphanage, I listened to it anyways.

Mainly to give her the opportunity to be a parent and a memory to remember in the future. After the story concluded, I fell asleep wondering who I'll get for my teacher and teammates tomorrow.

* * *

**April 11: Monday**

Arriving at 9:50 AM in the classroom 205, everyone's speculating on who they think will be on each team. Some students were wearing the Genin's flak jacket and others didn't bother buying it.

At 10:00 AM on the dot, Maki came in to announce the team assignments.

"Listen up everyone, I'm now going to announce team assignments so pay attention. Team 1 will be Nobu, Akira, and Masae. Your Jonin instructor is Wataru."

Several minutes later, Maki finally mentioned my name. Though her face shifted from indifferent to hero worship like a celebrity is coming her.

"Finally, Team 11 will be Genji apprenticing under Jonin instructor Pakura-sensei."

Oh. So that's why she's happy.

"What", "No way", and "He gets an apprenticeship under her" were some of many various comments I've heard from my fellow graduates. They were jealous of me learning from someone famous within the village.

But for me however, this confirmed I'm in an alternate universe. Only because I remembered my new future teacher was dead in the original source and reanimated by Kabuto.

The classroom's doors opened a slew of instructors called out their teams to follow them. Soon enough, Pakura showed up and she greeted Maki before searching the classroom. Her eyes focused on me, while I did the same too.

Appearance wise, she's light skinned and her height is around 5 foot and 5 or 6 inches maximum. She's well endowed, but not as big compared to Tsunade.

Her hair is dark green hair with orange tips tied up into a bun behind her head. There's her brown pupil-less eyes and it's like I'm staring at a brown colored version of a Hyuuga. Observe.

**Name:** Pakura

**Level: **170 / **Age:** 28

**Class:** High Jonin / **Affiliation:** Suna

**HP:** 9,750 / **CP:** 18,200

**Titles:**

**[Jonin] **(Allowed access to any ranked Jutsu, except Kinjutsu. Can participate on any ranked missions from D all the way to S. As an elite ninja, can command Chūnin and Genin on missions.)

**[Hero of the Hidden Sand]** (+500 Fame, +30% relations with Suna-nin, and 25% morale of Suna-nin in her party.)

**[Experienced Veteran]** (+10% INT when fighting in war and +20% skill effects related to leadership skills.)

**Status: **Normal, **(Desert Fighter: **+10% to all stats except LUK when the user is in a desert region or mountainous terrain**)**, **(Blade Master:** +30% DEX with bladed weapons**)**, and +100 DEF.

**A famous kunoichi known as a hero amongst the village population for stopping an Iwa plot which could've crippled Suna during the war. She has a moral code of sorts where she prefers to not kill those she considers as 'children' and just incapacitate them.**

**She classifies 'children' as those who are between 12 to 20 years old. However, she'll set aside her code if the situation is dire enough. Her bloodline limit, the Scorch Release, allows her to instantly kill her enemies using intense heat to evaporate all liquids inside the human body.**

**Pakura is a very strong shinobi because she doesn't only rely on her bloodline. She's a perceptive fighter who is very agile and so skilled in close combat that she can fight Kenjutsu specialists with a kunai.**

Damn! Not as strong as Rasa, but that bloodline though. Burn baby burn!

"Genji, follow me to Training Field 50."

* * *

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya

**Class:** The Gamer

**Age:** 7

**Affiliation:** Suna

**Titles:**

→ **[Genin]** (Allowed access to E, D, and C ranked Jutsu in the library's restricted section. Able to participate on D and C ranked missions with a team.)

**[Aspiring Fanboy]** (+15% proficiency learning Suna's fan arts.)

**[Aspiring Puppeteer]** (15% proficiency learning Suna's puppet arts.)

**[Zombie Slayer]** (+50% attack and defense when in combat against Zombies.)

**Status:** Normal, +20% Evasion, and +38.47 DEF

**Level:** 23 - **EXP:** 10,383/60,000

**HP:** 3,315 - **HP Regen:** 145.5 per 5 seconds

**CP:** 3,154.33/6,308.67 - **CP Regen:** 27.89 per 5 seconds

**STR:** 51 + (51 X .99) = 101.49

**VIT:** 97 + (97 X 2.0) = 291

**PE:** 392.49

**WIS:** 60 + (Meditation 21) + (Bookworm 2) + (83 X .68) = 139.44

**INT:** 99 + (Meditation 21) + (Bookworm 2) + (122 X 1.05) = 250.1

**SE:** 389.54

**DEX:** 75 + (Ambidextrous 23) + (98 X 1.43) = 238.14

**AGI:** 95 + (Sandals 4) + (99 X 1.38) = 235.62

**LUK:** 116 + (116 X .05) = 121.8

**Fame/Infamy:** 60/0

**Unspent points:** 20

**Money:** 6,747,999 Ryo + (1,375,000 Trifecta Winnings) + (100,000 Coin Purse) + (1,569,375 Zombie Hunting) + (300,000 Antlion Boss) + (25,000 Gambling Profit) + (4,000 Stipend) - (3,250,000 Miscellaneous Items) - (25,000 Books) - (10,000 ticket) - (10,000 Gambling Fee) - (7,500 Armor) - (13,500 Gym Membership) - (9,300 Sanae's Restaurant) - (42,600 Milk) - (900 Expenses) = 6,752,574 Ryo

**Kaguya Genji is a paranoid reincarnated young man who desires money and power to guarantee his wishes such as his survival past the 4th Shinobi War and his mother's wellbeing.**

**He feels indebted to his mother Miya because she didn't throw him away after birth and tried her best to take care of him.**

**Genji is somewhat lazy, but his paranoia of the main characters failing to save the day is enough of a motivator for him to improve himself. In addition, he's finds the art of puppetry enjoyable and has thought of several ways to improve the field.**

**Currently, his power level and stats are nearly equivalent to Itachi and Kakashi when they were his age. ****With the right training methods, skills, work ethic, and overall goals to improve himself for selfish reasons, he'll surpass all eventually.**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Yes, I changed the location of stadium where the Chūnin Exam finals are held. I based it off the OVA episode of Naruto versus Konohamaru. No I don't know how tall the tower is so I made it comparable to a skyscraper.

Because Genji isn't wearing the Young Noble Lucky series of garments, his LUK returned back to its original numbers.

Yes, I included the effects of **[Detect Bloodthirst]** into the **[Sense Danger]** skill.

Where did I get the idea of an Automatic Party System? Fantasy Life 3DS.

**XxOmNiPoTent PriMorDial GodxX**: Of course, he'll be forced to participate in the 4th Shinobi war.

**lwymoisiraslom**: He might have teammates when he turns 12 years old. Maybe even earlier to build up Leadership experience and get used to working with other people.

**kewllewk**: Yes, I'm doing milestone skills and it'll happen for every 100 points in a stat.


	13. Combat Test and the Puppet Brigade

** Disclaimer:** **Familiar characters and references you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Combat Test and the Puppet Brigade**

Along with several other students, I stood up to follow our respective instructors outside the Academy building. After exiting the main building, Pakura vanished with only a small smoke cloud left behind.

Recognizing which Jutsu she used, I activated my own to rush to our meeting point. Several minutes later, I arrived at the Field 50's entrance and saw Pakura next to the public rest building.

She opened the door as both of us entered and sat down to begin our meeting in a comfortable environment. It was then she introduced herself and what we're going to do today.

"First off, my name is Pakura and I'll be your personal Jōnin instructor for the duration of your two yearlong apprenticeship. But before I start teaching you anything, you'll have to undergo a combat test for me to believe you're ready to be an official Genin."

Combat test? I tilted my head implying I required further clarification.

"You see Genji, this unit's purpose is mainly front line combat. There'll be other types of missions like infiltration, but it's mostly combat. You'll fight against me in field 50 at 6:00 AM so I can gauge your overall skill-set and figure out what to improve."

"Today's meeting is just a formality, so use your time wisely to gather any supplies and finish your preparations. You can go now."

Obeying her instructions, I left the building to see a quest immediately appear.

**Major Quest Alert!**

**Pakura's Genin Test**

**Pakura wants to know your current abilities and skill-set. Use the rest of the day to prepare and plan for tomorrow's combat exam at Training Field 50 at 6:00 AM.**

***You must fulfill four out of five objectives to receive the quest reward.***

****Bonus objectives can count towards the objective total.****

**Objectives**

**1: **Land a clean hit.

**2: **Use five Jutsu.

**3: **Use Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and Ninjutsu.

**4: **Force Pakura to use the** [Substitution Jutsu]** three times.

**5:** Don't get knocked out.

**Bonus Objectives**

**?**

**?**

**?**

**Quest Reward: **3,000 EXP per objective, 6,000 EXP per bonus objective, temporary title **[Pakura's Apprentice]**, and increased relations with Pakura.

**Quest Failure: **1,000 EXP, temporary title **[Overrated Apprentice]**, and decreased relations with Pakura.

I have to fulfill four conditions? There's a lot of things I can do to increase my chances of success. So the first thing I did is to save my game as always before facing a tough challenge.

Pause. Save Data.

**Do you want to overwrite '7th Birthday****' with 'Formality Meeting with Pakura?**

Yes.

**Save Data**

**Save File 1: 1st Day of Life Mid-Tutorial**

**Save File 2: Becoming 3.5 Years Old**

**Save File 3: Formality Meeting with Pakura**

Resume.

With a new rank, I need new clothes. After flickering to Yumi's Clothes for Everything, I asked Yusei for assistance.

He asked for my budget where I declared "Money isn't a concern. I want to see the best clothes you have on hand."

With Yusei's help, I found the clothes I was looking for. The set was called the **[Mysterious Puppeteer's Series]** and I showed interest in them because of the INT bonuses.

Seeing my interest piqued, he encouraged me to try them on and I did. I tried on the clothes with my Genin flak jacket in between the inner and outer robes, so my enemies won't think I'm wearing a combat vest.

**Mysterious Puppeteer's Cowl - Rank: Superior**

**-A royal purple shinobi cowl made of cotton which protects the wearer's lower face, head, and neck from the desert elements such as the heat, cold, sand, and dust. The shemagh portion covering the face is removable allowing the wearer to eat.**

**+Durability: 100, +5 DEF, and +4 INT.**

**Mysterious Puppeteer's Combat Trousers with Sash - Rank: Superior**

**-Dark purple pants made of cotton which stop at the calves and has several large pockets to store things in. It also comes with a crimson cotton sash which can be used as a make-shift belt or tie the inner robes together.**

**Durability: 100, +5 DEF, and +3 INT.**

**Mysterious Puppeteer's Robes - Rank: Superior**

**-Two loose long-sleeved and full length robes made of cotton which serves as good protection from daytime heat and cold nights. The outer robe is a royal purple color, while the inner robe is a light sandy brown. Both have straps on the inside to tie them together and count as only one item.**

**Durability: 100, +5 DEF, and +3 INT.**

**Ding!**

***Due to wearing the complete set of the Mysterious Puppeteer's Series, some bonus effects are applied to the wearer. These are only applied when wearing ALL of the set's pieces.***

**Passive Aura Effect: Mysterious Puppeteer - People find you to be either mysterious or suspicious as it's very hard to identify you, while wearing this set.**

**+50% fluid movement of both living and inanimate puppets manipulated by your [Puppet Technique].**

**+30% extended range and control of [Chakra Threads].**

**+25% bonus to [Deception].**

**+5% Evasion.**

Those bonus effects! Whelp, I know what I'm going to continue wearing from now on until I find something better. The robe's sleeves will be very useful to conceal the fact I'm withdrawing or depositing items in my inventory space.

Not to mention the two robes only count as one equipment item meaning I can wear both the robes and Genin Flak Vest for my upper body. In addition, I bought bigger shinobi sandals too, since I'm about to outgrow the one's I have. In total, I paid 2,000 Ryo for the clothes and shoes.

Before I left, I requested a special order to Yusei if he could make more clothes of the same quality and design as this particular design, except in several different colors. He agreed for 35,000 Ryo and that it'll take at least a month to gather the materials and finish, so I paid him upfront.

The colors I chose are the seven colors of the rainbow, white, black, and another two royal purple sets. I'll confuse my future enemies by dressing myself and puppets in cheerful colors as I spill their blood with my hands.

Concluding my business there, I traveled to the Shinobi Outfitters next to buy 20 smoke and flash bombs each for 2,000 Ryo. The shop isn't allowed to sell them to any civilians including students, unless you're a Genin.

By the time I arrived back home and entered the dining room, it was 11:00 AM.

"Welcome back Genji, you're just in time for lunch. How was your day?" She happily said while placing several plates on the table.

"It's pretty good. I'll be apprenticing under Pakura if I pass her test tomorrow." I replied and she noticed my new clothes.

"That's wonderful, do your best to make her proud. Are those new clothes you're wearing?"

"Yes mom, I needed to upgrade my wardrobe to befit my new ranking."

I then showed her the front, side, back, and what I looked like without the cowl on for her to see. Looking back at her, she gave me her seal of approval.

"That's wonderful, do your best to make her proud. As for your clothes, you do look good in them as it makes you very mysterious."

"Thanks mom." I replied and kept my cowl off to eat lunch. One may think why the heck I'm acting out of character and being all nice instead of quiet.

I may be power hungry and selfish, but it's no excuse to act like a rude asshole to my new mother. Her devotion to me is admirable, since most civilians dump their kids at the orphanage and forget about them.

Done eating lunch, I stood on top of a stepping stool to wash the dishes and explained about my early morning test. She frowned at the time and said she'll make a breakfast meal tonight in which I can pick it up from the fridge tomorrow.

Inside my room, I examined all my current skills and inventory to brainstorm several methods to hopefully achieve all objectives. I didn't bother planning for the hidden ones, since my main priority is passing the mission.

I tried remembering any skills Han Jee-han created which might be useful for my situation, but the only one I remembered was his Energy Bolt. In fact, can I replicate it using pure Chakra instead?

Let's try doing it. Not in here of course, but in an Empty ID. Wouldn't want to explain to mother why I was stupidly experimenting with an unknown Jutsu inside my bedroom.

Once I'm ready to start, I pointed my right index finger at a wall and tried compressing Chakra at the tip. When I felt there was enough pressure built up, I tried ejecting it instead of streaming like a Chakra thread. The bolt launched from my fingertip giving my arm a slight recoil and impacted against the wall.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to launch a projectile made of Chakra.**

**Chakra Bolt (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill that attacks by emitting Chakra from the fingertip as an energy projectile and aiming by pointing your index finger at your target. Damage is based on your INT + (INT X 10%).**

**+Flat Activation Cost: 250 CP per bolt. **

**+Current Range: 10 meters****  
**

That's great, but is there anything else? I tried remembering Pakura's information, an idea popped in mind.

After exiting the dungeon and heading downstairs, I alerted mother that I forgot to buy some supplies needed for my test. She thanked me for being a polite boy, instead of rushing out without telling her.

Going outside of the house, I searched for a hardware store to buy some string, leather, glue, two paintbrushes, and two cans of quick drying black and gray paint.

I eventually found all the items and paid 800 Ryo total for my troubles. Then I went straight back to home to implement this newfound idea and continued experimenting with my skills to see what works and what doesn't.

* * *

**April 12: Tuesday**

Early in the morning around 5:00 AM, I prepped myself and left the house by 5:10 AM with mother's breakfast dish in my inventory. It consisted of five superior ranked onigiri restoring 100 HP and CP each. Just one of many advantages of living with a parent specializing in the **[Cooking]** skill.

Minutes later at Field 50, I summoned some iron sand from the surrounding environment to prepare the battlefield to my advantage. Pakura never explicitly stated I couldn't come here ahead of time and cover the area with a layer of black sand along with several piles which will be my final plan.

Besides, Goro told me we're not honorable samurai and we're expected to cheat. To make sure I have a full CP bar to work with, I ate and meditated to recover all of the CP spent earlier.

At 6:00 AM sharp, I detected a presence behind me. Believing it's a threat, I settled into a combat stance only to see its Pakura.

**Hero of the Hidden Sand**

**Level 170**

**Pakura**

"Good morning Genji, I see you're been busy. Before we start, let me explain the test's criteria again. This'll be a one on one fight and I want you to come at me with the intent to kill. Now don't think this means I'll stand around and not do anything because I will attack you." She explained, but I interrupted her.

"Kill? Not incapacitate?!" I blurted out and she nodded in agreement.

"The Kazekage has assigned me to be your teacher to prepare you for future enemies who'll hunt you specifically because you're a bloodline user. To do that, I need to see you go all out using all three shinobi arts and your creativity. Any questions before we begin?"

"Can I use anything at my disposal?" I asked just to make sure and Pakura paused in consideration before replying.

"Yes Genji, you can even use your bloodline limit if you decide to do so. But I recommend avoid using 'That' bloodline since we have some hidden observers watching this battle."

The moment she said observers, I tried sensing their presence but I couldn't detect them. Either they're outside my range or their stealth capabilities trump my detection skill.

"Spies?!" I questioned loudly and Pakura answered with slight distaste.

"In a way they are. They're going to watch us from a distance and probably report to the Suna Advisory Council."

"Wait a moment! Is this council the kind where they have more power than the Kazekage themselves?" I shouted thinking I'm stuck in one those fanfictions with stupid civilians, but Pakura shook her head in denial and explained to me the council's purpose.

"Don't be silly Genji, the Kazekage himself makes the final decision. The only time the council makes the final decision is if the Kazekage in power is incapacitated like a coma, missing, or dead."

"Then who's on the council then?" I inquired and Pakura continued to correct my misconceptions.

"In case you didn't know, the council is made of 12 accomplished Jōnin who assist the Kazekage in maintaining the village. I'm not a member myself, since I prefer fieldwork rather than sitting behind a desk doing paperwork."

"Thank you for clearing away my misconceptions." Phew! More like thank R.O.B I'm not in one of those alternate universes.

"Any other questions before we start?"

Shaking my head, Pakura's posture went from relaxed to battle ready. She then began the battle with her next words.

"Then let's begin!"

I expected her to sprint at me, but Pakura stood there alert and waiting for me to make the first move. Knowing this test is about my skills, I had to initiate the first move.

With an activation of Chakra Reinforcement pumping my body for additional AGI, I started the battle with several jabs all over her body to see her reaction. In response to my probing attacks, she simply diverted them with a simple push with her hands.

Eight jabs later and Pakura started to block my hits with her palms instead of deflecting them. This change of tactic practically screamed "CHANCE" in my mind and I simply had to take advantage of it.

After retracting another left handed jab, I threw a right handed straight empowered with **[Power Strike]**. Just as I expected she blocked it with her right palm to see how much power a straight punch will do.

**CRITICAL! -419.59 HP!**

The sudden power increase took her by surprise if the loud exclamation of "What" didn't tip me off. Due to being taken off guard with her right arm flung up into the air because of my strike's unexpected force, it left her right side open for a direct attack.

Before she could move her guard back in place, I rushed in to deliver a left handed liver blow. Her face grimaced in pain upon my fist making contact, but she exploded into smoke. A delayed seal-less substitution?

Checking Pakura's supposed remains, she switched places with a boulder. Where the hell did she get that at?

"Not bad!" From behind, I heard Pakura comment out loud and waiting for me to continue fighting.

So I obliged and continued using Taijutsu with a variety of punches, kicks, and strikes. Unlike last time, she struck back by parrying my hits and lightly hitting me back.

**-410.6 HP! -412.2 HP! ****-410.6 HP!**

After receiving a third hit, I separated from Pakura to take a small breather and some time to think. Soon, I thought of another strategy and I got back in the fight.

Throwing more jabs and punches, I waited for her to deflect one of my hits. When she finally redirected one of my strikes, I activated my Chakra threads from the fingertips and connected them to the hand Pakura used to parry.

Then I used five more threads for a total of ten strings to restrain her hand. With all my threads connected to her, I yanked them to me to forcefully drag Pakura to my position.

To my detriment, she pulled out a kunai and cut the threads to sever the connection. Seeing my tactic fail, I withdrew a kunai from my leg holster and connected a Chakra thread from my right index finger to the handle before throwing it at Pakura.

She easily evaded my weapon and two seconds after it passed her, I twitched my finger to yank the thrown kunai back towards her backside like a yo-yo. Unfortunately, the kunai missed my teacher by five feet and both of us stared at my weapon.

"Was that supposed to hit me from behind?" Pakura broke the silence with a deadpan question.

I made another thread to connect to my kunai and retracted the weapon back into my possession.

"Well, I only came up with yesterday. So I didn't have a lot of time to perfect it." I defended my earlier action and deposited the kunai within my sleeves.

"Your idea would've been better if you actually suppressed your thread to be invisible."

Guh! She's right, but my skill level isn't high enough for me to suppress them anyways.

Whelp! What should I use next? Ninjutsu or Genjutsu? Hmm, why not do both?

Gathering some iron sand around us, I focused the sand in the sky above Pakura's position and went through the hand seals required to use the Jutsu. In my mind, I yelled out 'Iron Sand: Nail Hell'!

**-825 CP!**

Once activated, nails rained down from the sky all over the battlefield. None of them hit Pakura on their downward journey, but most of them surrounded her in randomized spots forcing her to watch her step.

Before time runs out on my technique, I advanced forward while trying to place a small Genjutsu with eye contact. Once it takes hold, I'll maintain the connection via Chakra pulses.

The illusion will make her brain think the sharp impediments are still around her and stepping on them results in immense pain. I know how to simulate that specific kind of pain ever since I experienced it firsthand back in my previous life.

**-300 CP!**

Re-engaging in close combat, I made sure to avoid stepping on my own traps thanks to **[Iron Metal Detector]**. Her attention seemed split between me and the nails around us.

Soon six seconds expired and my nails reverted into clumps. My illusions seems to be working until Pakura suddenly disregarded them and struck me with a kick to my stomach.

**-412.2 HP!**

"But how?!" I exclaimed and Pakura revealed the answer.

"Your idea is pretty sound Genji, but your illusion was a bit rushed. It seems you're not used to running and using Genjutsu at the same time."

Well shit. Reaching into my sleeve, I pulled out my modified bone sword. All because I wanted to see how far I can go against a blade master with my self-taught swordplay.

To deceive my opponent, I modified my bone weapon by attaching a makeshift leather grip on the handle and painting it to look like a real sword. In hindsight, I should probably buy a real metal sword the next time I go shopping.

In response, Pakura pulled out a kunai from her hip pouch though she seems confused by my weapon's crude appearance. At least the observers watching us will think it's a shoddily crafted sword and not actually a bone weapon.

Then the two of us engaged in a match of swordplay. I'd thrust, slash, and hack in a randomized pattern, while blocking Pakura's kunai slashes.

Five minutes later, the only things established during our sword fight is my sword skills and stats are lacking compared to Pakura's. Feeling the battle isn't going anywhere, I leaped back to create some distance.

Depositing my weapon back into my sleeve inventory, I pulled out mother's onigiri and started eating them. While I continued eating, Pakura stared at me with incredulity.

"What exactly are you doing Genji?" Pakura said while trying to figure out what I'm doing.

**+100 HP &amp; CP!**

"I am eating onigiri to recover my health and Chakra." I replied stating the obvious.

**+100 HP &amp; CP!**

.

.

.

.

**+100 HP &amp; CP!**

.

.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created which makes people doubt your mental state.**

**Fool's Act (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill in which the user acts or speaks in a peculiar or bizarre manner making their opponent(s) doubt the user's mental state and causing them to be confused temporarily.**

**+.5% chance of confusing the target(s) for two seconds.**

What the? Guess I can shelve my plan of acting like Tobi when killing bandits for now.

**+100 HP &amp; CP!**

"I can see that Genji, but you're not an Akimichi. So why?"

**+100 HP &amp; CP!**

Err, time to initiate Plan B. With the 'B' standing for Bullshit.

"I'm just a Shadow Clone created to distract you. The boss is currently sneaking from behind you as we speak." I said while pointing behind her.

"I'm sorry Genji. You may be a genius, but you're just a tad bit too young to use that particular Jutsu." Pakura shook her head at my failed attempt of deception.

"So much for that idea."

Well I'm facing a Jōnin after all, since they're trained to not fall for such trickery. Unless they're a background mook or some fodder trash. Since Plan B went down the toilet, it's time for Plan C.

Reaching into my sleeves, I withdrew a smoke bomb. Once in my hand, I threw it hard against the ground in-between us.

***Boom!***

While the smoke obscured our location and eyesight, I have a skill to succeed. Using my metal detecting skill, I located the nearest kunai not on my person which happens to be what Pakura is holding right now.

Detecting her at my three O'clock, I chucked ten kunai simultaneously in that general direction. I heard several clanging noises and saw all my weapons laying by her feet when the smoke cleared.

Dammit! I was hoping that'll force her to use a Substitution, so onto the next plan.

Repeating my earlier actions, I threw down another smoke bomb and made an Iron Sand Clone giving it certain orders. Before the smoke dissipated, I gave the clone several kunai and transformed as well.

"Another diversion? What are you going to do this time Genji?" Pakura said after noticing my clone just standing around unresponsive and holding ten kunai.

In response to her question, my clone sloppily threw the kunai at her. It's to be expected since it has only 7% of the caster's stats, meaning 7% of my current DEX.

All the thrown kunai sailed through the air in an arc-like trajectory and embedded themselves against the ground all around her feet.

"That's it?" She said unimpressed and continued to stare at the silent clone.

Right when her attention shifted back to my clone, I undid my transformation as a kunai and instantly attacked with a Chakra Bolt. Surprised by my tactic, she attempted to get away but the bolt impacted against her lower left leg.

**-350.14 HP!**

Pakura grimaced in pain and hastily replaced herself with another boulder, but at least I landed a clean hit. Now I just have to force her to use a Substitution one more time.

Throwing down another smoke bomb, I threw another kunai at Pakura. Once I heard a clanging noise and as soon as I saw the kunai within my vision, I switched places with it. She wasn't surprised by my tactic and punished me for it.

**-415 HP!**

Ouch! Since this plan didn't work, I'll have to rely on my final plan relying on the piles of iron sand around us. My right hand went into my left sleeve and I pulled out my small battle fan.

With my fan in hand, I fought in close quarters combat again trying to lure her to stand near certain spots. Eventually, her backside was facing one of these spots and my trap card activated.

While she's distracted by my frontal fan attacks, an iron sand clone emerged from the pile of black sand behind her. The clone's hands reached outwards and restrained her ankles. Then it continued to encase her entire body with only her face exposed to the world.

"Kill me." Pakura said once bound by my clone. I would've done so immediately, but something reeked of suspicion and it's not me.

A quick **[Observe]** on Pakura revealed I encased a shadow clone. A shadow clone?! Since when and how does she know that Jutsu?

Did she switch places when I switched with the kunai? Or maybe earlier than that?

Checking the quest objectives, Pakura she didn't use a third substitution. This means she could've made a clone after I threw down my third smoke bomb.

Suddenly a countdown timer appeared on my HUD and Pakura's attack pattern shifted into total offense.

**30:00**

**29:59**

If I had to guess, I'd say I need to endure Pakura's attacks for 30 minutes without getting knocked out. She relentlessly slashed with her kunai along with some Taijutsu moves and I did my best to block or evade everything.

There's little to no time to think between her attacks, so I'm forced to react with my instincts. And with each minute that passes by, Pakura ramps up her DEX and AGI by a small increment.

Occasionally, I'd get nicked with a cut or receive a blow after every three attacks. Not feeling happy about the current flow of battle, I changed it by throwing a flash bomb between us.

Before the bomb impacted the ground, I closed my eyes and went through the hand seals for **[Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique]**. Once the blinding flash came, I sent my illusion to Pakura via a Chakra pulse.

The illusion took effect as Pakura became enraged. With her being momentarily vulnerable, I flickered right before her and unleashed a palm strike. However, she managed to dispel my Genjutsu due to recognizing the hand seals and quickly substituted with another boulder before impact.

Since I forced her to use a third substation, I'm guaranteed to receive **[Pakura's Apprentice]** title as my reward instead of the overrated version. So it doesn't matter if I get knocked out or not, but I'm going to try anyways for the extra EXP.

**10:00**

**9:59**

It's been more than a dozen minutes since I've forced her to use a third substitution. I've been relying on my 25%evasion, high HP regeneration, and food consumption to stay in the fight.

My tactics and passives annoyed Pakura a bit as I refused to be knocked out from her attacks. I should've been knocked out five minutes ago, but I'm cheating my ass off to succeed. Because if you're not cheating, then you're not trying.

Though the amount of hits I've received has taken its toll on my stamina. So I resorted to a backup stall tactic by surrounding myself in a large cocoon made of my **[AISD]** and additional iron sand just like Gaara.

With the short respite gained, I ate more food to restore my HP. I heard a loud explosion impacting against my cocoon, but it didn't penetrate my defensive technique.

Then my **[Sense Danger]** skill went off like a blaring alarm telling me there's something very deadly outside. Soon enough, I felt an intense heat slowly melting my iron sand defense.

Realizing its Pakura's Scorch Release, I hurriedly created a rear exit and escaped the searing heat. Once outside, I stepped around to see a flying red ball of death barely touching the cocoon. Observe!

**Scorch Release Fireball**

**DANGER! ****DANGER! ****DANGER!**

**ANY physical contact with this fireball will boil the blood inside your body causing instantaneous death!**

When Pakura saw she forced me outside the cocoon, she stopped using her bloodline and resumed her relentless attacks. This time with more ferocity and repeatedly targeting my stomach specifically.

**-412 HP! -415 HP! **

I only have to endure a few more minutes, but her strategy of decreasing my stamina is working due to the repeated body blows. If I keep receiving more, I'm going to collapse out of breath so I started using my iron sand to restrain her movements.

**8:00**

**7:59**

Grr! I need to draw out the time, but Pakura's high AGI outmatches the particle speed of my iron sand skills. When she charged at me again, I used **[Pyschokinesis]** on her feet to trip her up.

**[Pyschokinesis]'s level has risen by 1!**

Pakura fell forwards a bit before regaining her footing. Though she appears confused as to how I affected her shoes as there's no iron or anything metallic in them. And I showed her earlier my skill with Chakra threads isn't good enough to be suppressed to the point of invisibility.

Seeing some success, I spammed this tactic against her until I ran low on Chakra. It was then Pakura took off the kiddie gloves and blitzed my ass with repeated body blows.

**6:59**

**6:58**

After receiving several repeated hits to my stomach, I have no stamina left in the tank to continue battling. Due to this, my DEX and AGI significantly dropped putting me in a vulnerable state.

Pakura immediately noticed and took advantage of this opportunity. She concluded our battle by using her speed to get behind me and landed a very heavy chop on my neck to knock me out.

**CRITICAL! -1,066.5 HP!**

When I awoke five minutes later, I saw Pakura standing nearby. I know she took it easy on me in the beginning and started getting serious at the end, but now I know what kind of combat I'm expecting to face off against in the future.

"You did very well Genji. I'd say your overall skills in general are above a graduated Genin's level. What's notable about you is your stamina, physical endurance, and evasion." Pakura declared and continued showering me with praises.

"Your skills with a sword and fan both need more work. But that's probably due to the fact you've never clashed with another armed opponent who's better than you. Altogether, I accept you as my apprentice."

**Major Quest Complete!**

**Objectives**

**1: **Land a clean hit. **Achieved!**

**2: **Use five Jutsu. **Achieved!**

**3: **Use Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and Ninjutsu. **Achieved!**

**4: **Force Pakura to use the** [Substitution Jutsu]** three times. **Achieved!**

**5: **Don't get knocked out.** Failed!**

**Bonus Objectives**

**1: **Force Pakura to use her Scorch Release.** Achieved! **

**2: **Show Pakura your creativity.** Achieved!**

**3: **Land five clean hits.** Failed!**

**You've gained +24,000 EXP!**

**Pakura has accepted you as her apprentice!**

**Gained Title: **Pakura's Apprentice

**Effects:** Grants +4 STR, +7 VIT, +3 WIS, +3 INT, +7 DEX, and +7 AGI permanently for each full month under Pakura's tutelage. +25% proficiency towards Bladed Weapons Mastery, general shinobi skills, and Fire &amp; Wind affinity training.

I'm so happy I gained the quest reward, but what's with the abnormally high VIT, DEX, and AGI gains per month? I shivered at the thought her training regimen will make Goro's seem like heaven.

*Ahem*

"Since the two of us will be spending a lot of time together, let's get to know each other with an introduction. I'll go first to set an example for you to follow." Pakura received my full attention and I listened to what she said next.

"As you've heard earlier, my name is Pakura. You may call me Pakura-sensei or sensei. I like shopping and spending time with my friends and family." Her cheerful mood about her likes became frosty from what I assumed is her dislikes.

"I dislike those who use others as disposable board game pieces and the philosophy of 'Fulfill the mission at all costs'." Then her chilly tone returned back to normal.

"I became a shinobi to protect the village my parents raised me in and the friends who live in it. My dream for the future is to live long enough to see my pupils like Maki and you become a fine shinobi."

"SHH! DON'T SAY THAT!" I shouted and thought 'Doesn't she know any better?'

"What's wrong Genji?" Pakura said after being startled a bit by my sudden outburst. I shook my head at her like she should know better and explained my reasoning.

"Saying something like that raises the death flag one usually reads from stories."

"Genji, we're shinobi and death is a common risk in our line of work. Most of us won't even live past the age of 50 let alone 40." Pakura sighed at my answer and I tried figuring out why I reacted like that.

It was then I recalled the future with Kabuto and his reanimated army. I shuddered at the thought of losing the war because of my new teacher running around killing off key members or Kabuto using his pieces strategically. Then again, the alliance could've sealed her but I don't remember if they did.

"No! I'll make sure you'll live long life. At least past the age of 50." I said as I stared into her eyes with my declaration.

"Anyways before I was interrupted, that's my dream. Now it's your turn Genji." She finished and waited for me to follow up.

Hmmm. Should I tell the truth or not? Eh, let's be honest since this is an apprenticeship.

But I will not reveal my gamer powers to anyone because that's just dumb. I only said I ate food to recover HP and CP earlier to screw with her and buy some thinking time.

Should I get caught, I'll say it's either a Jutsu only I can use or it's magic. Because if you can't dazzle them with your brilliance, then baffle them with your bullshit.

"Okay, my name is Genji and I like milk, desserts, food, money, and training my skills. I dislike naïve people and I became a shinobi to gain lots of money, and overwhelming power to survive future wars. Another factor for my choice of becoming a shinobi is the ability to take care of myself, my family, those I consider allies or friends, and Sunagakure."

"My dreams for the future? I have several of them, but I'll list the most notable ones. Live a very long life, learn Suna's unique specialties, seeing new places, becoming Suna's first ever God of Shinobi so nobody even gets the bright idea of double crossing me, and surviving any future wars."

So far from watching her expressions, she doesn't seemed surprised or shocked by my statements. Though she raised an eyebrow on how I kept mentioning my survival through future wars.

"You're certainly on your way to becoming powerful Genji. Some of your moves during our test would've incapacitated a Genin caliber enemy. Your overall abilities could've been better, but you're only seven years old."

Although Pakura praised me for my creative tactics, she's correct about my techniques. My Nail Hell only has a duration of six seconds and that's pathetic.

"Are there any shinobi divisions you have in mind to join or none at all?" Pakura asked and I was stumped on which group to join.

"Pakura-sensei! Can you please give me an overview of each division?" I replied wanting to know if she's talking about the ANBU or something else entirely.

"Okay Genji, here are the divisions of Suna's general forces you can join." She smiled at my enthusiasm and explained each division with enough details for me to make an informed decision.

"First is the Intelligence and Logistics Division if you can't handle killing people. It's where you mostly do secretary duties, deskwork, and paperwork such as handling mission requests, payment, bookkeeping, and or codebreaking."

"The Puppet Brigade is a place where you learn all about the design, building, weapons design, operating, and fighting with puppets. In addition, you'll learn how to improve your puppet technique, chakra control, and various applications of Chakra threads. Their main goal was to bring puppets to life to give Suna an edge in second war, but it resulted in failure."

"Next is the Fan Corps where you're taught how to manipulate air currents, wind elemental Jutsu, wind affinity training, and using battle fans of all sizes in combat. Then there's the Medic Corps where you'll grasp medical techniques, human anatomy, and information to heal injured people on and off the field."

"The final division is the Sealing Corps. In this group, you'll acquire knowledge learning various Fūinjutsu formulas and learn Suna's specialization of the Binding Cloth Technique." Pakura finished and awaited my answer.

All the divisions she mentioned sound good, except the first one.

"Pakura-sensei. What's the Binding Cloth Technique?"

"It's a technique where one can freely manipulate cloth in a variety of ways, but it's used mainly to immobilize your intended opponent by wrapping them tightly using a giant roll of cloth. They're wrapped up so tight that they move or use any techniques. It's versatile because one can write multiple seals on it and chain them one after another which can surprise an opponent if they're not expecting it."

"I thought Suna was all about fans and puppets?"

"Well, you're right it's one of the first things people usually think of. But there are other things too."

"Whenever you ask a foreign shinobi about Sunagakure, then the following is brought to mind: Desert, Puppets, Fans, Magnet Release, the One-Tailed Beast, and the Binding Cloth Technique. In fact, my previous pupil Maki specializes in the Binding Cloth Technique."

"Hold up! Why didn't you mention your Scorch Release Pakura-sensei? A fireball that mummifies your enemies with a touch by evaporating all the liquid in their body must be famous right?" I asked as I thought she's just being humble and not arrogant. Pakura grimaced a little from my detailed description of her ability before continuing her explanation.

"It is indeed famous Genji, but the Magnet Release gets more critical acclaim nationwide because of the 3rd Kazekage. He used his bloodline to great effect by decimating a couple of shinobi companies hailing from Iwa, Konoha, and Kiri shinobi."

"My bloodline only made me infamous in Iwagakure and Suna made me out as a hero for it. In the war, I was only deployed to battle mainly Iwa-nin and the occasional Konoha-nin. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes, thank you Pakura-sensei." Hmm, she didn't mention anything about battling any Kiri-nin. I'll have to ponder it later on as I have a higher priority to focus on.

Which division should I join? I did say I'll join the Puppet Brigade, Medic Corps, or Sealing Corps early, but now I'm not so sure. There's so many choices on the path to power and so little time.

"Is it possible to join more than one Pakura-sensei? Also, do I have to have a wind nature affinity to join the Fan Corps?"

Pakura paused for a moment to think before responding.

"I'm sorry, but it's not possible. Some divisions such as the Medic and Sealing Corps require you to spend a lot of time dedicated to their field. For example, you'll have to pass a medical exam testing your memory before you're allowed to even heal someone. For you second question, you don't need a wind affinity to join the Fan Corps. But it does make it easier to learn their techniques."

"Do I have to join the Sealing Corps to learn Fūinjutsu?"

"No, they teach Fūinjutsu in the brigade as well."

Hmm. I could spend one year in the Brigade before transferring to the Fan Corps for another year. After that, I'll join either the Sealing or Medic Corps. Only time will tell.

"I want to join the Puppet Brigade Pakura-sensei."

"Are there any other questions you have before I dismiss you?"

"Can you tell me what my elemental affinities are pretty please?"

I've been dying to know what it is after the shopkeeper kept refusing to sell me some Chakra paper due to not being at least a Genin. Now that I am a Genin, I reconsidered buying it. Because why should I pay for Chakra paper, when I can have my teacher give it to me for free?

"Hmm, I guess it's all right for you to know right now." Pakura reached into her hip pouch, pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to me.

"This here is Chakra paper. By inputting your Chakra into it, the paper will react differently depending on what your Elemental Affinities are."

Following her instructions, I emitted my Chakra into the paper. The paper sliced into two pieces, with one side crumbling away and the other half barely crinkled.

**Ding!**

**You've finally discovered your elemental affinities.**

**Natural Wind Affinity (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A natural ability you were born with to manipulate and control Wind related techniques. It also represents your skill of Wind Nature Manipulation by molding and shaping neutral Chakra into Wind natured Chakra along with its unique properties.**

**+.5% decrease of wasted Chakra for Wind natured techniques.**

**+40% skill EXP and +3% bonus effects for Wind related techniques.**

**+5% particle speed and airborne control of Iron Sand.**

**Natural Earth Affinity (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A natural ability you were born with to manipulate and control Earth related techniques. It also represents your skill of Earth Nature Manipulation by molding and shaping neutral Chakra into Earth natured Chakra along with its unique properties.**

**+.5% decrease of wasted Chakra for Earth natured techniques.**

**+40% skill EXP and +3% bonus effects for Earth related techniques.**

**+5% bonus damage, defense, and density of Iron Sand.**

**Natural Lightning Affinity (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A natural ability you were born with to manipulate and control Lightning related techniques. It also represents your skill of Lightning Nature Manipulation by molding and shaping neutral Chakra into Lightning natured Chakra along with its unique properties.**

**+.5% decrease of wasted Chakra for Lightning natured techniques.**

**+20% skill EXP and +2% bonus effects for Lightning related techniques.**

**+2.5% acceleration, summoning, and compression speed of Iron Sand.**

"As expected since your bloodline is the Magnet Release." Pakura concluded after seeing my results, while I'm confused as hell.

"Pakura-sensei, the Kazekage mentioned someone named Toroi who also has the Magnet Release."

"What country do we live in Genji and what's the affinity most people have here?" Pakura started off her explanation with a question and expected me to respond to them.

"Wind Country and the wind affinity."

"Where does Toroi live and the majority affinity they have in his country?"

"Lightning Country and the lightning affinity."

Oh! So that's why.

"I see you figured it out. I don't know the exact ratio their version, but I do know Toroi uses Chakra Flow to activate his version. Why else do you not hear of a Kumo-nin with Suna's version of the Magnet Release levitating large quantities of minerals?"

Maybe they're keeping it hush hush so they can secretly build up their military might and cash reserves?

"So the bloodline mutated?"

"Possibly. In my opinion, there's different variations of the Magnet Release out there that affect different properties of magnetism. Any more requests?"

"Can you teach me the Shadow Clone Jutsu? If not, then what do I have I have to do learn it?"

"Calm down Genji, I feel you're not ready for this technique yet. You'll be soon, but not now." Pakura motioned her hands down to calm my enthusiasm.

**Quest Alert!**

**Learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu**

**Pakura feels you're not ready for this Jutsu, so fulfill her conditions to show you're ready.**

**Objectives**

**Chakra Control Mastery Level: 50**

**Clone Jutsu Level: MAX**

**Iron Sand Clone Jutsu Level: 25**

**Quest Reward: **Pakura will teach you the** [Shadow Clone Jutsu]**.

**Quest Failure: **None

**[Yes] or [No]?**

Yes. I can't believe I have to max out that pathetic Jutsu! It's still a cheaper alternative than the one offered on the Auction. I could experiment on my own using the clone seal from my memory, but I'll trust and accept her judgement for now.

"I have just one question left. When and where did you learn it?"

"It was back then during the 3rd war. I interrogated several Iwa-nin for some information and one of them revealed all their secrets under duress. Anyways, you're dismissed. Meet me at the Wind Tower by 6:00 AM tomorrow." Pakura said and started to walk away.

"Huh? But it's only 8:40 AM and we have a lot of daylight to burn." I said surprised we're not going to do anything else.

"Not exactly. I have to report to the Kazekage, make arrangements with Brigade leader, and finalize your training schedule. See you tomorrow morning Genji."

Pakura disappeared from my sight and I tried to figure out what to do next. Well first, I need to know the current levels of those three skills needed to fulfill the objectives.

Show Chakra Control Mastery, Clone Jutsu, and Iron Sand Clone Jutsu.

**Chakra Control Mastery Level: 32**

**Clone Jutsu Level: 60**

**Iron Sand Clone Jutsu Level: 4**

Man, I have a lot of work to do. I'll just go home for now to tell mother the good news and practice those three there.

But first, I need to gather up all the iron sand and store it into my inventory. With my skill, I made several dozens of ten pound compacted cubes of sand and stuffed each one into my sleeve inventory.

Once finished with my self-appointed task with no black sand covering the training grounds, I flickered back home to see a Chūnin in front of my house talking to mother.

**Village Tax Accountant**

**Level 70**

**Mamoru**

A tax accountant? What the hell is this person doing here?!

**Major Quest Alert!**

**Money, Money, Money!**

**The tax man of Suna has come knocking due to Emerald Valley Farm's suspiciously high profits.**

**Better think up a credible alibi that'll convince Mamoru.**

**Quest Reward: **1,000 EXP and an appeased tax man.

**Quest Failure: **25% decreased relations with everyone as they'll think you're a thief.

AWW SHIT!

"Welcome back Genji, Mamoru here was asking for you." Mother gestured at the man and he spoke up.

"Indeed I am miss, I want you to explain me something young man. Where'd you get the money to pay for expensive milk when it exceeds your Academy stipend hmm?!"

The man peered down at me, while I struggled to come up with an answer. Come on brain! What can I say to not fail this quest and ruin my reputation?!

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Gambling. I gambled with my stipend money to play Chō-Han."

"Gambling you say? Like you can earn more than 450,000 Ryo by gambling." Mamoru haughtily stated since it really is a ton of money.

Feeling pissed off being backed into a corner and that I couldn't say I gained it from hunting zombies, I argued by giving him a counteroffer.

"Yes I can and I'll prove it as well. You'll accompany me to a gambling den where you'll watch me turn 3,000 Ryo into 30,000 by the end of today. Legally without cheating of course, unless you're too much of a chicken to witness it in person."

**[Speech]'s level has risen by 1!**

"Brat, I'd like to see you try and fail to make a ton of money by gambling. You'll have to fess up the real reason to the Kazekage himself after I watch you fail."

**Major Quest Alert!**

**Do you Feel Lucky, Genji?**

**You made a claim to Mamoru about turning 3,000 Ryo into 30,000 by the end of today. Go out there and make some money!**

**Time Limit: **11:30 PM tonight

**Objective:** Win 30,000 Ryo

**Bonus Objective:** Win 60,000 Ryo

**Quest Reward: **1,000 EXP.

**Bonus Reward:** 2,500 EXP

**Quest Failure: **50% decreased relations with everyone for being a thief and a liar. A talk with the Kazekage himself.

Whew! I gave him enough rope to make him believe I just hanged myself with my bold declaration. Now that he's willing to go along, I have to make sure I win the required money somehow.

"Don't worry mister, I'm just lucky. But I need to swap my current robes into my lucky clothes."

Not to mention saving my game again. Pause. Save Data.

**Do you want to overwrite ****'Formality Meeting with Pakura' with 'Gambling with Mamoru'?**

Yes.

**Save Data**

**Save File 1: 1st Day of Life Mid-Tutorial**

**Save File 2: Becoming 3.5 Years Old**

**Save File 3: Gambling with Mamoru**

Resume. Before I stepped in the house, mother pulled me aside to speak to me privately.

"Genji, you don't have to do this. You might lose all your money and end up bankrupt."

"I know mom, but I have to prove my point."

**Your relations with your mother has decreased by 50!**

Inside the house, I entered the bathroom and quickly swapped my current equipment via the character status screen with the Young Noble's garments. Why waste time putting clothes on and off, when you can do it in an instant?

Once I stepped outside the house, the reactions of both Mamoru and my mother varied to my Japanese Prince Ali knockoff. The tax man wondered how the hell I bought such expensive silk clothes, while mother shook her head in disapproval of my frivolous spending.

"Bye mom, I'll be back by sometime tonight. Let's go gambling mister Mamoru-san!"

After saying my goodbyes to mother, I traveled to a gambling parlor with Mamoru in tow. To ensure my increased chances of succeeding, I decided to do something that went against my current plans. I hate to do this, but the current situation demands it.

Pause. Character Status.

**Are you sure you want to spend the following points?**

**+20 LUK**

**Current LUK: 116 **→ **136**

Yes.

While VIT is my dump stat, this event takes priority right now. It's a good thing I dumped all my bonus points in LUK because then I'd have to reveal my dungeon skill to the Kazekage.

Once the two of us went inside a gambling hall, I handed Mamoru 3,000 Ryo to gamble with so he doesn't get kicked out due to not doing anything.

It's 9:00 AM and I have plenty of time to get the money.

"Hey Mamoru-san, do you believe in magic?"

**11:30 AM**

It's been more than two hours so far and I've earned 12,000 Ryo, **+3 LUK**, and three levels of **[Gambling]** just from playing Chō-Han. Mamoru grumbled about how unfair my bullshit luck is due to mostly losing.

He's like a female version of Tsunade in how much he sucks at gambling. Though I had to take a small break to eat and do our bathroom business.

**2:30 PM**

After winning another 6,000 Ryo for a total of 18,000, the owner booted me out of his den.

"There's no way you're that damn fucking lucky guessing twenty outcomes in a row." He claimed and I had to accept his decision.

Mamoru accompanied me to another gambling parlor though he's starting to be swayed that I can earn my money by gambling.

**5:30 PM**

Initially I lost 8,000 Ryo, but gained it back along with 2,000 Ryo. My total is now 20,000 and need 10,000 Ryo more. Mamoru complained about losing all the money I've given him, thus I loaned him another 3,000.

The ungrateful bastard seems to enjoy gambling when he's not using his own money. Then again, I'd think it applies to everyone.

**7:00 PM**

The good news is I managed to reach my targeted goal and then some as my total winnings is now 38,000 Ryo along with **+2 LUK** and another two levels of **[Gambling]**. I could've continued until nearly midnight, but I didn't.

Standing up to leave, Mamoru followed me out. I even heard the other patron's grumbling as well on the way out.

"Thank God he's finally leaving!"

"Maybe my luck will turn around now the lucky bastard noble is gone."

"Well Genji, I guess I'll believe you for now. If you're really this damn lucky and done this every weekend for the past few years, then I can see how you raked in the money." Mamoru spoke when we're outside before leading into his next question.

"But there's one problem I have with this whole thing. How did you get in there if they don't allow minors to participate?"

Grr, this bastard is still trying to find a hole in my story. Fucking pest he may be, but I had plenty of time to think of an answer for any possible questions.

"The Transformation Jutsu obviously! Some Academy students were showing off their brand new skills in the courtyard by shouting out the hand seals and slowly performing each one needed to perform them."

I then transformed my face and voice into smug Aizen along with a demonstration of my 'noble' behavior by looking at him like he's a bug beneath my feet. My appearance and performance managed to sway his opinion into my favor.

"Yeah. Academy students tend to do that a lot."

**Major Quest Complete!**

**You've gained 1,000 EXP!**

**Major Quest Complete!**

**You've gained 1,000 EXP!**

**You've convinced Mamoru with your gambling alibi.**

He then gave back to me 500 Ryo which was what's left after I gave him a total 6,000 to play with earlier. I don't know if he sensed my growing anger about the missing 5,500 Ryo or I leaked some killing intent, but he tried placating me.

"Wait, don't be angry about the lost money. You gave it to me willingly." He said and I immediately rebuked it.

"I gave it to you so you wouldn't get kicked out for soliciting. Don't think I didn't see you enjoy gambling yourself when playing with other people's money. Goro-sensei taught me to be observant and not stupidly ignorant you know."

I made a point about his enthusiasm of actively gambling because he had a go big or go home playstyle. Mamoru felt like he couldn't give a rebuttal to my point and he gave up.

"Okay, okay! You got me. I'll make it up to you next time I swear!"

"Hmm, I guess I can find it my big big heart to forgive you of the debt you owe me. That is if you tell me about the tax rules about gambling winnings, income, deductions, and taxes in general?" I said the first part sarcastically, but gave him a way out if he told me what I wanted to know.

**You gained +1 WIS for wisely making the accountant explain the tax system to you.**

Hearing my question, Mamoru gave me a thorough explanation.

"While there's no lottery tax on your current winnings, it does count as income. So make sure you report each amount you win no matter how small it is. Whenever you go shopping to buy products, there's a small consumption tax applied on whatever you buy."

"The tax rate of Suna is a 7% annual flat rate of all income totaling above 250,000 Ryo. Those who earn under 250,000 do not have to report their taxes. It doesn't matter if you earn 250,000 or 20,000,000, you'll pay 7% of that number and it must be paid between February 16 and March 15."

"You can also earn 35,000 Ryo tax-free as a deduction for basic living expenses. The winnings you earned while you were still a student aren't taxable. But now that you're an adult thanks to the headband you wear, any winnings or mission rewards you earn counts as income and therefore is taxable. See ya!"

Mamoru left and I just stood there contemplating what he just said. If I heard him correctly, I wouldn't have been taxed if I remained a student.

Well isn't that wonderful? Just another drawback of graduating early. I appreciate the man is doing his job, but nobody likes it when they're the ones under intense scrutiny.

Flickering back home and entering the house, mother still had a frown on her face.

"I'm back! Look mom, I earned 38,000 Ryo today." I said and placed the money on the table.

"Genji, I don't like how you're earning money using such a risky method. Because the chance of you getting into debt reminds me of the time I was poor and couldn't afford to take care of you." Mother answered and I understood seeing it from her point of view.

"Don't worry mother, I passed Pakura-sensei's Genin test so I'll be doing missions really soon and I'll have a stable money source. That way, I'll save enough money to not rely on gambling and take care of you in the future." I said while staring at her seriously.

**Your relations with your mother has increased by 10! **

She smiled at my thoughtfulness and the two of us ate dinner. While she disapproved of gambling, she told me to limit my habit and to not solely rely on it for my income. It's okay as a hobby and side income, but don't make it an obsession.

Before heading upstairs into my room, I gave my mother a heads up on another 6:00 AM meeting with Pakura again. She told me she'll leave my breakfast in the fridge to pick up.

Now that I've taken care of the annoying tax man Mamoru, I can now focus on other things. Accessing the Abyss Auction, I browsed the site for some books.

Eventually I found and bought the beginner, intermediate, and advanced training books of all five elements including the ones for Yin and Yang Release for 320,100 Ryo.

**Your purchase has been delivered and deposited straight into your inventory. **

**Thank you for your business!**

I started reading the Beginner Fire and Water books first just to get their affinity skills. Following the instructions listed on the pages, I tried my best converting my Chakra into the nature of Fire.

Two hours later of practice and experimenting, I finally got the skill.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to show your proficiency of Fire natured Chakra.**

**Fire Affinity (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill showing your current ability to manipulate and control Fire related techniques. It also represents your proficiency of Fire Nature Manipulation by molding and shaping neutral Chakra into Fire natured Chakra along with its unique properties.**

**+.5% decrease of wasted Chakra for Fire natured techniques.**

**+1% bonus effects for Fire related techniques.**

Then I spent another hour trying to change my Chakra into Water natured Chakra before getting the result I wanted.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to show your proficiency of Water natured Chakra.**

**Water Affinity (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill showing your current ability to manipulate and control Water related techniques. It also represents your proficiency of Water Nature Manipulation by molding and shaping neutral Chakra into Water natured Chakra along with its unique properties.**

**+.5% decrease of wasted Chakra for Water natured techniques.**

**+1% bonus effects for Water related techniques.**

Man! Those two affinities were a pain in the ass to figure out. And I still have to learn the Yin and Yang Release as well. Better get to work on them too.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to show your proficiency in Yang Release.**

**Yang Release (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-The physical energy aspect of Chakra that governs vitality and breathes life into form. This skill represents your proficiency of changing the physical ratio of Chakra in your techniques.**

**+.025% Physical Energy (PE) boost.**

**+.05% decrease of wasted Chakra used for non-elemental techniques.**

**+60% skill EXP and +3% bonus ****effects of Medical Ninjutsu or any Yang related techniques.**

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to show your proficiency in Yin Release.**

**Yin Release (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-The spiritual energy aspect of Chakra that governs imagination and creates form out of nothingness. This skill represents your proficiency of changing the spiritual ratio of Chakra in your techniques.**

**+.025% Spiritual Energy (SE) boost.**

**+.05% decrease of wasted Chakra used for non-elemental techniques.**

**+40% skill EXP and +1.5% bonus effects ****of Genjutsu or any Yin related techniques.**

You know, I can see the path to overpowered via maxing out both Yang and Yin releases. But with that out of the way, I can focus on training my natural affinities.

I've got two years of being Pakura's apprentice, so I should be leveling wind and fire as much as I can. So I practiced both Wind and Fire affinities all night long until 2:00 AM.

That's when I decided to take a short nap and sleep a bit. Despite not needing any sleep as a game character, I still do it because I tend to think of random crazy ideas when lying down.

* * *

**April 13: Wednesday**

Waking up at 5:00 AM again, another translucent screen appeared again.

**Major System Update!**

**Both HP and CP Regen are now per minute instead of per five seconds.**

**[Chakra Control Mastery] has been reworked.**

Hmm, this feels like a buff and a nerf at the same time. The per minute change makes sense because if I brought an enemy down to low HP, then they'll be A-Okay 10 to 20 minutes later.

But this also makes using any Dead Bone Pulse techniques a risky tactic and actually forces me to spend my Chakra more wisely. It could give me a major advantage since I can eat consumables to recover health and Chakra.

Checking my **[Chakra Control Mastery]**, it now said it doesn't decrease the amount of wasted Chakra of flat costs or Elemental techniques. Meaning if I want to lower the amount of wasted Chakra spent for elemental techniques, I have to level up my affinities more.

Dismissing the window and getting ready for the day, I flickered to our meeting point and waited for Pakura. She eventually showed and greeted me nicely with a surprise.

"Good morning Genji. Ready to do some missions today?"

"Missions already?! I thought we're supposed to train?"

"You're correct, but today's a mission day according to our training schedule. I've taken the liberty of writing it down on a piece of paper for you. Here you go."

Grabbing the paper from her hand, I looked at my schedule and it's jam-packed of activities.

**Genji's Training Schedule**

**All training sessions will be held at Training Field 40.**

**Sunday:** Free day to relax and do whatever.

**Monday:** 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM Pakura's Session at and 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM Puppet Brigade

**Tuesday:** 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM Pakura's Session and 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM Puppet Brigade

**Wednesday:** 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM D-Ranked Missions with Pakura.

**Thursday:** 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM Pakura's Session and 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM Puppet Brigade

**Friday:** 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM Pakura's Session and 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM Puppet Brigade

**Saturday:** 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM Puppet Brigade

At least I have some free time on Sunday to spend with friends and family or practice my Jutsu. Shoving the paper in my inventory discretely, I asked her several questions.

"Where's Field 40 and why change the training location?"

"I'll show you where it is at the end of the day. We'll be training there because it's only accessible to those who are at least Genin ranked."

"Will I be able to choose the missions or you?" Pakura stood for moment in consideration of my question before answering.

"I'll allow it, since you'll be doing all the work and I'll be supervising to make sure you do the job correctly."

You sure about that or you don't want to break a nail doing grunt work? Good enough for me since these chores could help increase my skills.

Nodding in agreement to her proposal, both of us flickered to the Wind Tower and headed towards the missions desk on the first floor. Luckily we were first and have first pick of the missions.

Though the random Chūnin working behind the desk confused me.

"Pakura-sensei, I thought any missions are assigned by the Kazekage himself?"

"You're correct Genji, but he sometimes doesn't bother doing them and relies on a trustworthy Chūnin to do his duties in his stead."

"Team 11 present and ready for some D-rank missions. What do you have available?" Pakura asked the Chūnin manning the desk and he checked the mission records.

"There's three missions that need to be done right now. The first is shopping and delivering groceries for an elderly couple. The second is to find and capture the pet lizard of the Wind Daimyō's mistress. The final D-rank is babysitting a few children."

"The shopping mission!" I shouted before Pakura could get any funny ideas and because shopping won't take too long. Not to mention tracking and capturing a lizard is way too much of a hassle compared to a cat. For all I know, it could be a lizard from hell itself.

**Major Quest Alert!**

**D-Rank: Shopping For the Elderly Couple**

**Buy everything on grocery list and ensure every item is at least average ranked in quality. Then deliver the foodstuffs to the couple's residence.**

**Quest Reward: **1,000 EXP, 5,000 Ryo, and increased relations with Pakura.

**Quest Failure: **Decreased relations with Pakura.

**Bonus Reward: **EXP is tripled if you complete the mission without using any effects of** [Observe]**.

Taking the list and 700 Ryo needed to buy the groceries, I raised an eyebrow at the condition for the bonus reward. Though I understood what it's basically trying to teach me after a minute of thinking it over.

I can't be using **[Observe]** everywhere and on everything because it'll take out the fun and mystery of the mission or adventures ahead. Plus, I need to be able to judge things using my knowledge and instincts.

Not to mention there's simply no time to read information during an intense life and death battle requiring my full concentration.

It's like that protagonist of an anime exorcist series who's over-reliant on his special eyeball in the beginning. I forgot his name, but all I remember was the eye being used to see a hidden enemy amongst the people called Akuma.

Checking the list again, it was full of perishable foodstuffs. At the food market, I was paranoid of each fruit and vegetable I picked up and carefully inspected every one. If it felt even slightly weird or spoiled, I placed it back where I found it.

Pakura didn't help out in any way, since she stated earlier I'm going to do all the work. Though she was amused by my shopping antics of sniffing, tapping, feeling, fingering, and looking at each item.

The merchant didn't like how I was fingering all of his goods, but he allowed me to continue doing so. Probably because I have Pakura the hero standing behind me. At least she was nice enough to create three Shadow Clones to hold the excess grocery bags because I can only carry so many in public.

Paying 650 Ryo for all the groceries, I followed the directions listed to the elderly couple's residence. When I gave them the food and the 50 Ryo change, they thanked me for ensuring the food was safe to eat and signed the mission request with their signature.

Checking the time on my HUD, it currently listed 8:00 AM.

"You did great job for your first mission Genji. Ready for another one?" Pakura said on our way back to the Wind Tower.

"Yep! Can I stop by the stipend desk to pay off my Academy stipend debt first?" I requested so I don't have to worry about a looming debt over my head.

"Sure."

Back in the tower's first floor, I paid my debt of 84,000 Ryo fully at the orphan loan desk. The cashier was stumped I paid it off all at once instead of small installments, but accepted the cash.

Standing in line for another D-rank, our turn finally came to the mission's desk.

"Team 11 has completed the mission of shopping for the elderly. Here's the signed mission request." Pakura said to the receptionist and he told me to go to nearby Chūnin to receive my payment.

**Quest Complete!**

**Some of the foodstuffs are good quality and the rest are average! **

**You've gained 3,000 EXP**

**You've gained 5,000 Ryo!**

**Your relations with Pakura has increased by 10!**

"Pakura-sensei, I thought the requester usually pays the mission fee after the job is complete?"

"You're correct again Genji, but some civilians trust the village enough to pay ahead of time in cash or withdraw directly from their bank account."

"Thanks for clearing that up. Do you have any more D-ranks mister?" I asked hoping there's more jobs that aren't related to finding a missing pet.

The desk jockey was about to speak, when a random female Chūnin came rushing in.

"Sho-kun, an employee at Miyanaga's reported in sick. The owner needs a dishwasher right away for seven hours and she's willing to pay 20,000 Ryo directly from her account."

CHA-CHING! That much money simply for dishwashing?

"Sign me up mister for I'm a professional dishwasher!" I announced in a grand manner in which the Jōnin, Sho, scoffed at my professional remark.

He allowed me to take the mission anyway and listed directions to this restaurant. Apparently it happens at least three times a year and the owner pays a whole lot more Ryo than usual.

**Major Quest Alert!**

**D-Rank: Doing the Dishes**

**Wash all the pots, pans, dishes, and utensils sparkling clean.**

**Quest Reward: **1,000 EXP, 20,000 Ryo, and increased relations with Pakura, Miyanaga's, and mother.

**Quest Failure: **Decreased relations with Pakura, Miyanaga's, and mother.

**Bonus Reward:** Impress the owner with your dish-washing skills for an additional 500 Ryo tip.

Confused by how doing this mission increases my relation with my mother, I put it on the backburner as both of us flickered to our destination. The location of this business is in the rich side of town where the affluent live and dine.

At the parlor's entrance, a chubby lady with a closed paper fan tapped her right foot impatiently awaiting our help.

"Oh how wonderful! You must be the help I so desperately need right now. I was expecting three Genin, but I'll do with what I've got. Please come this way to the kitchen."

The lady directed me to the kitchen and I understood why it included my mother.

"Hi mom, what're doing here and didn't you work at night?" I greeted mother who was wearing a chef's work uniform.

"Genji? This is where I work now. I also asked my employer to change my work hours from the night shift to the day shift, so I'll be with you at home in the evening." Mother smiled and continued mixing up some vegetables before frying them in a wok.

Ah, how sweet on her part. Instead of eating a cold refrigerated breakfast, I'll eat something freshly made in the morning.

"Oh hoh, this is your son Miya-san? I hope you know what you're doing because you'll have to do the work of three Genin." Miyanaga pointed at the sink where there was all sorts of things needing to be washed and I went to work immediately.

**Several Hours Later, 3:25 PM**

"Oh Genji, your dish-washing skills alone are better than the usual Genin who sometimes work here. I'm sorry for making you work overtime a little bit, so here's a tip from me to you and along with my signature for a job well done."

**You've gained 500 Ryo for a job well done!**

**Your relations with Madame Miyanaga's Parlor has increased by 20!**

**Your relations with your mother has increased by 10!**

Of course madame, you can thank my level 74 dishwashing skill for this job. Before Pakura left for the Wind Tower, I made another small request.

"Pakura-sensei, can we make a quick stop at the Academy so I can talk to someone for a brief moment?"

"I'll allow it, but make it quick."

Appearing at the Academy gates, I waited for Shira to leave and spotted him soon enough.

"Hey Shira over here! I need to talk to you for a moment." I yelled and got his attention. Although he looked to where I'm standing and seems confused. Is it because of my current get-up?

"It's me Genji, I don't have a lot of time to spare so hurry up!" Once he realized who I was, he came running to me.

"Hello Genji-san. Did you need something?"

"Yes, my Jōnin teacher has given me my training schedule and I'm only available on Sunday. Is there any time you prefer on Sunday to meet?"

Shira took some time to mull over his answer before replying.

"How about from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM here at the Academy gate?"

"Yep, that'll be okay with me. Oh, has anything interesting happen recently since I've left the Academy?"

"Well Maki-sensei and Nonota-sensei aren't teachers anymore. They said they're rejoining the general forces so they'll become Jōnin."

"Genji! Are you done yet and who is this?" Pakura suddenly spoke up from behind.

"Yes I'm done and this is my friend Shira. Shira this my Jōnin teacher Pakura-sensei." I gestured towards my sparring partner hoping she'll get a positive impression about him.

**Your relation with Shira has advanced from [Neutral] to [Friendly]!**

"A-ah! Pakura-sama, my name is Shira. It's an honor to meet you." Shira seemed surprised for a moment before saying his greetings to my teacher.

"It's nice to meet you Shira. Now Genji, we still have more missions to do before 5:00 PM."

"Sorry to cut my talk with you short. See you later Shira." I parted with Shira and he waved goodbye before returning to his business. Though I saw a smile on him before I turned around to leave.

Hmm, is it because I called him my friend that our relation has increased? I did wonder why my relations with him didn't advance no matter how many times we sparred, but now I finally know. Shira still has some insecurities and they must've decreased when I called him my friend.

After waiting in a long line behind other Genin teams, it's finally our turn and I submitted the signed form.

**Quest Complete!**

**You've gained 1,000 EXP**

**You've gained 20,000 Ryo!**

**Your relations with Pakura has increased by 10!**

"Are there anymore D-Rank missions being offered?" Pakura asked Sho the desk jockey.

"Well there's. . ."

"Sho-kun! The Genin of Team 6 injured their legs from a training mishap and they can't deliver the monthly documents to the outpost personnel. The Jōnin of Team 6 said he'll let another Genin Team do the mission."

"I'll do it!" I exclaimed because document delivery is easy peasy and something like this must pay a lot of money. Raising and waving my hand excitedly, Sho sighed out loud giving me the mission form. He then told me directions to another desk to receive the documents.

Obeying his instructions, I waited for another Chūnin and he gave me four envelopes soon enough. Each one had a different letter marking and they were 'N', 'W', 'S', and 'E'.

"Make sure you deliver them to the proper outposts' young man."

**Major Quest Alert!**

**D-Rank: Document Delivery**

**You received four envelopes where you'll deliver one to each of the four guard outpost buildings on Sunagakure's tall rock cliffs located in the 4 compass directions.**

**Quest Reward: **2,000 EXP, 50,000 Ryo, and increased relations with Pakura.

**Quest Failure: **Decreased relations with Pakura and Sunagakure.

Showing the mission form to Pakura, she said I'm still responsible for this mission. Meaning I have to locate all these outposts without her help and carry the envelopes myself.

Stuffing all four of them in my sleeve, I went southwards with Pakura following me. Ascending the tall rock cliff, I managed to find the Southern guard outpost after entering three wrong buildings and handed them the 'S' labeled envelope.

The delivery mission took around an hour total and I completed it by running counter-clockwise to the other three locations. Submitting the signed form with four signatures from each outpost, I received my rewards.

**Quest Complete!**

**You've gained 2,000 EXP**

**You've gained 50,000 Ryo!**

**Your relations with Pakura has increased by 10!**

Exiting the tower, Pakura spoke to explain what we're going to do next.

"Well Genji, I believe that's our last mission today. Now follow me to the training field I want you to show up at tomorrow morning."

I followed her to the new meeting point and memorized its location on my mini-map.

"Remember to meet me here tomorrow morning for the first official day of your training. I also recommend you learn where the Puppet Brigade is located too. See you next time Genji!"

Departing from the field, I searched for the Brigade's headquarters and eventually found it. With nothing else left to do, I returned home and found mother cooking dinner.

"Mom, look at how much I've earned today!" I greeted mother and presented the money to her on the table.

"That's wonderful Genji. Make sure you store it in a safe place or at the bank."

Bank? I guess I could open a savings account.

"Will you go with me to create a bank account when you have some time available?"

"Sure Genji, I'll help you out."

After dinner, I told mother about my training schedule and went upstairs to my room. In there, I honed my clone skills all night long.

Though I noticed the skill's EXP increased more each time I activated the Jutsu and not from how many clones were created. Meaning I only had to create one clone per activation instead of two or more.

* * *

**April 14: Thursday**

Today's the first day of my training and I meditated to restore my CP back to full before meeting Pakura. Usually, I wouldn't have to worry about it, but both my HP and CP regeneration are now per minute.

Going downstairs and eating a freshly made breakfast made by mother, I said my goodbyes and left for training field 40. At 6:00 AM sharp, Pakura appeared and began my training.

"Good morning Genji. Let's start off with 100 strikes against this soft Makiwara post using our left hands and then another 100 strikes with the right."

As I punch the post and ignore the stinging pain, I glanced at Pakura noticing she's doing the workout along with me. After hitting the post, she then made me do another 100 strikes using kicks per leg.

**[Physical Endurance]'s level has increased by 1!**

This is a pretty good idea. Since she's starting me off from the soft, then I'll move onto the stiff Makiwara eventually.

Didn't martial arts masters train by hitting a boulder too? I'll do so after getting used to the stiffer post.

Right after my 100th right kick against the post, she made me do 200 reps of Goro's usual regimen along with a few add-ons. Like for example doing some katas while sand-walking. Pakura even brought some jump rope and we finally took a short 30 minute break after 200 jumps.

"Pakura-sensei, why are you working out alongside me?" I questioned her as I thought a Jōnin instructor usually stands around watching their Genin team train like Kakashi.

"It's a considerable waste of my time if I stood there watching you. If I exercised alongside you, then you'll be more motivated to finish the tasks assigned and I'll maintain my physical fitness too." Pakura replied and stood up after our short intermission expired.

"Break time is over, we're now going to run 200 laps around the training ground's perimeter and a one lap run around the entire village. And this'll be done without using the body flicker."

"Say again?" I heard her say 200 laps around the training grounds as I expected it earlier, but I think I misheard her after that.

Pakura repeated what we're going to do again and I understood why there's such a high VIT gain.

**Several Hours Later, 10:30 AM**

When the two of us finally completed our run, I collapsed down on the ground to rest up. Pakura didn't look winded at all as it appears to be barely a warmup for her.

"Pakura-sensei, why did you plan the training menu this way?" I asked in between my heavy gasps for air.

"What's the most important thing for a shinobi to have?" She turned to me and waited to hear my answer.

Three solutions to her question popped in my mind: Power, quick reflexes, and speed.

"Quick reflexes?"

"No Genji, its stamina. A ninja has to have good cardiovascular health. Otherwise, they're useless and will meet an early grave. Sometimes, we have to cover large swathes of territory to get to the mission site on time."

I'm not sure if I agree with her on that one. You could have unlimited stamina, but it's useless if you someone one-shots you because you couldn't even react or see it coming. Like those Iwa-nin being decimated by the Yellow Flash due to his reflexes and speed.

Another 30 minute break later, Pakura forced me to engage in several combat situations. First we clashed with swords so I'll get used to fighting against an armed opponents who are superior to me.

"There are situations where one can't rely on logic and deductive reasoning during a fight and must be able to react using their instincts, reflexes, and muscle memory." She explained during our fight as she continued to pummel my ass into the ground.

Following our sword fight another two combat rounds. The first was Taijutsu and the second was using my Iron Sand against her to adapt to an opponent with superior speed.

Soon it became lunch which only lasted for another 30 minutes, before we got back to training. My next set of training exercises is to deflect all throwing weapons with my sword followed by evasion practice where I wasn't allowed to block any projectiles for the objective is to dodge.

My training session with Pakura came to an end as my cuts, bruises, and wounds disappeared after I applied **[Basic First Aid]**. While tending to myself, she handed me some papers.

"Great job Genji, you managed to endure and complete the workout. Your homework is to memorize these hand signs and actions which will be used as unspoken signal commands to be used on missions outside the village. Once you memorized it, destroy the paper and then you'll memorize battle formations."

"Okay then, we're done for today. Before I leave, the brigade leader said to bring an **[Advanced Puppetry Kit]** with you and be there by 3:30 PM for a tour."

Once she left, I started eating some food to restore my HP and CP before flickering home to pretend I picked up my puppet kit. Going inside the house, I sensed mother wasn't in so I withdrew my kit from my inventory space.

Inspecting the kit's contents, I found a six-foot tall wooden humanoid puppet with a whole bunch of work tools to modify and repair it. It's nothing special as it doesn't have any hidden weapons and looks like an average bald human adult.

I then sealed the kit inside a sealing scroll and arrived at the Brigade's HQ by 3:20 PM. After entering the lobby, I asked the receptionist about what I'm supposed to do.

He told me to wait for an appointed guide and I sat down on the comfortable furniture. Two minutes later, I sensed someone's approach.

"Hey, are you Genji?"

Looking to who said that, I saw someone who was wearing a black robes with a hood reminiscent of a practioner of black magic.

**Dank Puppet Specialist**

**Level 120**

**Umetarou Nekozawa**

"Yes I am. Who are you?"

"My name is Umetarou Nekozawa and the brigade leader assigned me to guide the new members. Have you brought your Advanced Puppetry Kit?"

"Yes. I have it inside my sealing scroll."

"Good. Follow me and join with the other newbies." I walked behind him and joined the group of ten beginners.

"Alright everyone! Let me show you all the brigade's facilities first. Then I'll test each of your skill levels with Chakra Threads and the Puppet Technique to determine where you'll be placed."

He then showed us the workshops, a puppet parts shop, a target range, weapons testing area, his office, and the puppet playground. I then understood why he's called a Dank Puppet Specialist when we went to his office as it was all dark and gloomy with minimal light.

It could also serve as a good setup for a horror movie with creepy dolls reaching out to grab you from behind. Hmm, I better write that down as it's a good idea for a Genjutsu.

The puppet parts shop sold and offered all sorts of goodies. Completed puppets, puppet parts, wood, tools, metal, lubrication oil, custom orders, and repair services. They even sell Sasori's puppets too such as Crow, Black Ant, and Salamander.

I'll have to make sure to buy all three later. Because to defeat an enemy, you have to understand their way of thinking.

The most interesting place shown in my opinion is the puppet playground. The playground is a special place where two puppeteers fight each other using puppets. There are five tiers denoting your skill level which are Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Specialist, and Master.

The overall goal is to manipulate your puppet to defeat the opponent's puppet. There's a ton of restrictions at the beginning level and it lessens the more you increase your rank.

Beginners aren't allowed to use hidden mechanisms or target the other puppeteer. They simply use the puppet's limbs to disable and disarm the other puppet so they'll get used to moving the puppet in a combat situation.

Those in the Intermediate level can use hidden mechanisms or contraptions and advanced rankers can target either the puppet or puppeteer in battle. Specialists are allowed to use poisons and multiple puppets. Master rank is basically just for bragging rights.

But in all tiers of the playground, there's a strictly enforced no maiming rule. It's kind of like Taijutsu spars at the Academy, only with puppets instead.

There's also a scoreboard with interchangeable wooden blocks listing the number of puppeteers in each tier, names, and that person's current rank. I found Kankuro's name and he's ranked fourth out of 50 Intermediate puppeteers.

Elder Chiyo is ranked 1st out of the five masters. As for how many people are in each level, I checked the current dead last of each one and this is what I've see.

**Beginner: 100**

**Intermediate 60**

**Advanced: 30**

**Specialist: 10**

**Master: 5**

Nekozawa then took us all to a private room and he told us to demonstrate our skills to him one by one. When my turn came around, I showed him my current abilities which he commented on.

"Your skill with Chakra Threads is slightly above a Genin's level, but your Puppet Technique is barely above an Academy student. Okay everyone, follow me to the beginner's class where you'll learn the basic fundamentals of puppeteering."

As we entered the room, there were twelve other students inside too. Finding an empty seat in the back, I checked my fellow classmates.

None of them are friendly and most are either sneering or making disparaging comments. They probably don't recognize me due to my outfit covering up my appearance completely.

Some of the males acted arrogant talking about their so called elite skills despite being beginners and the females were stuck-up. Basically a bunch of students acting like Kankuro and Saya. Not everyone acted like them as there were some who were indifferent.

Our class started and apparently my teacher is Nekozawa. He proceeded to talk about how he and other teachers host several lectures for beginner, intermediate, and advanced topics. Only those with a teacher's approval or defeat a higher ranked puppeteer can move up a level and attend higher tiered lessons.

These lectures aren't absolutely mandatory to attend because some brigade members go on high ranking missions which could last several days. But they're very helpful for becoming a better puppeteer.

Next he gave each of us a syllabus showing us what lessons we'll learn in this beginner class. It also came attached with a general overview of what we'll learn in the intermediate and advanced classes to serve as encouragement to improve ourselves.

**Education Subjects Covered in Tier**

**Beginner:** Chakra Thread Training, Chakra Control, Wood-working, Metal-Working, Puppet Design, Basic Puppet Assembly, Joint Mechanics, and Puppet Operating.

**Intermediate:** Custom Puppets, Weapons Development 1, Human Anatomy, Tactics, and Basic Fūinjutsu.

**Advanced:** Advanced Fūinjutsu, Poison Mixing, and Weapons Development 2.

**Specialist:** Strategy, Weapons Development Part 3, and Multi-tasking.

***You must be in the advanced tier or be approved by a specialist to use puppets on missions.***

****To become a Puppet Master, one must be a specialist and able to manipulate three or more puppets simultaneously.** **

"To begin our class, we're going to do a small review session. Genji, please explain to the class about the Puppet Pentagon on the back of the humanoid puppet like what it is and what each circle does? Also where does a puppet master connect one thread to control the entire puppet?"

Why me?! Luckily enough, I know the answer and remember it verbatim.

"The circles of the Puppet Pentagon are the control points a puppeteer attaches their threads to in order to manipulate the puppet's movements and actions. When the thread connects to the control point, it sends Chakra through the inner wires of the puppet which acts like a skeleton and or nervous system."

"The pentagon's topmost circle controls the puppet's head and other parts of the head like the eyes and mouth. The two upper circles control the puppet's arms, hands, and fingers. The two lowermost circles control the legs and feet."

"Finally, the circle located dead center of the pentagon controls the spinal joint and sometimes the hips. It's also the same control point a puppet master uses by connecting one thread to control the entire puppet."

"Excellent answer young Genji! That's a very detailed answer you recited to the class. Is it possible to attach more than one thread to a control point?"

"Yes Nekozawa-sensei. Attaching more threads to a control point allows the puppeteer increased control over that point's specific functions."

"Good job Genji."

Nekozawa continued the review and explained the history of the brigade. The brigade's original goal was to bring puppets to life to increase their effectiveness in battle, but they gave up on it.

As he continued to talk about the brigade's history, it got me thinking. Didn't the one of my textbooks say anything is possible with Fūinjutsu?

And then I had a crazy idea. Isn't it possible to do it by using a combination of Fūinjutsu, Yin Release, Yang Release, human anatomy, and Sasori's human puppet research?

**Ding!**

**A quest has been created!**

**IT'S ALIVE!**

**Where Elder Chiyo failed, you might succeed.**

**Become the first person to create an autonomous living puppet that speaks and fights.**

**Quest Reward: **10 Million EXP, 1,000 Fame, increased relations with the Puppet Brigade and Sunagakure.

**Quest Failure: **None

**[Yes] or [No]?**

Yes. It doesn't hurt to try and it'll be a nice side project after the 4th Shinobi War. At least it's not death for failing this quest.

Nekozawa then told us to follow him to the target range as we're going to do some Chakra Thread exercises. Once there, he explained and demonstrated each exercise.

The first exercise is connecting a thread to a bulls-eye target ten meters away and hitting the center once from each finger. The second was the same, except hitting a puppet pentagon with ten threads from all ten fingers.

The final exercise of the day is attaching a thread to a kunai, levitate it in the air above our heads, and run several laps around the room while maintaining the thread. In the future, we're expected to run laps while levitating ten kunai with our threads.

Before class is dismissed, Nekozawa told us our homework is to continue training our Puppet Technique, Chakra control, and Chakra Threads. I thanked him for today's lesson and went to one of many nearby rest buildings.

At each building, I cleaned out every vending machine of their CP restoring snacks and drinks for a total of 36,000 Ryo. All so I can train my CP skills all night long. After my large purchase, I returned back home for the day.

* * *

**April 15: Friday**

After doing 205 reps of exercises and another lap around the village, Pakura trained my throwing skills. She created a couple of shadow clones and told me to hit them as live target practice.

Then Pakura gave me a lesson about Chakra Flow and what it does. To demonstrate its effects, she threw a kunai infused with regular Chakra and it penetrated a nearby boulder.

She explained the process step by step and I eventually learned how to do it myself.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to flow your Chakra through an object.**

**Chakra Flow (Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill that comes in two forms where one flows Chakra through an object and or any technique increasing a weapon's potency by flowing Chakra through it. To initiate Chakra Flow, one must be touching the weapon though it's not necessary to continue touching it to maintain Chakra Flow.**

**+Activation Cost: 250 CP and must be touching the weapon.**

**+Maintenance Cost: 100 CP per minute.**

**+10% bonus damage, 50% critical chance, and +.1% durability damage done to non-Chakra conductive materials weaker than your weapon.**

**+Items infused with Chakra will keep these bonus effects up to .6 seconds after failing to maintain Chakra Flow.**

The last task before I left for the Puppet Brigade was Pakura quizzing me on our signals. I got some of them right, but she told me I needed to memorize all of them to be allowed to go on a C-rank mission.

At the brigade, we were shown a visual representation of what's inside a puppets hand. There was several wires, cables, and mechanisms needed to just to move the fingers. Nothing different happened after that because Nekozawa made us do the control exercises yesterday.

* * *

**April 17: Sunday**

It's Sunday morning and I could've taken a break today, but I didn't. I spent some time in the restricted section of the library trying to find any low leveled training books or techniques which'll be useful to me.

There was only one D-rank Jutsu which piqued my interest and it's the Temporary Paralysis Technique. With a simple touch, I can paralyze someone.

It's possible to get some of the higher leveled Jutsu, but it requires a Jōnin's consent. I'll just have to prove myself to Pakura, so I'll get some of the more useful C-ranks like the Earth Release: Hiding like a Mole I saw thanks to **[Observe]**.

Bringing the scroll to bookkeeper, he explained I can either borrow the skill scroll for a seven days or buy it for 10,000 Ryo. I did the latter so I can absorb it and he recorded my purchase for their records.

Seeing my curious look as to what he's writing, he explained in case I'm ever caught sharing or giving the scroll to someone not approved by Suna, then I'll be punished accordingly. One consequence for example is revoking the option of buying or borrowing scrolls.

Returning back to my bedroom, I opened the skill scroll.

**Would you like to learn the skill**** [Temporary Paralysis Technique]?**

**[Yes] or [No]?**

Yes.

**Ding!**

**You cannot learn this skill!**

**Requires [Human Anatomy and Physiology] Level: 22**

**Requires: 300 INT**

Whelp, might as well go to the gym for a swim at the pool. Well that is after I removed my iron sand weights and a quick stop at the market to buy several swim trunks for 300 Ryo.

While at the gym's pool, I had an idea to gain two skills I could gain and implemented them.

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to swim farther and faster.**

**Swimming (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill representing how fast and far you can swim, while using less stamina.**

**+1% STR, VIT, and AGI.**

**+2% ****swimming speed and decreased stamina consumed when swimming.**

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created to walk on water.**

**Water-Walking (Passive/Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%**

**-A skill enabling the user to walk, run, or stand on water without sinking by expelling Chakra at a varied rate accordingly to the water's surface tension.**

**+Activation Cost: 100 CP.**

**+Maintenance Cost: 100 CP per minute.**

**+1% INT**

After spending a couple of hours there, I dressed myself off for my meeting with Shira. We then sparred and fought in eight 10-minute rounds with 5 minute breaks in between for two hours straight.

But when Shira was about to leave, I asked him to accompany me to go somewhere. And no, it wasn't a date as I don't swing that way.

"Genji-san, where are we going?" Shira questioned in an unsure tone, but trusted me enough to go with me.

"You'll see." I said mysteriously. With Shira following behind me, we walked and entered the Konami Fitness Gym and I talked to the pretty receptionist.

"Hello miss, I'd like to sign up my friend Shira for a gym membership. Could you charge his monthly membership fee to my account?"

"If that's what you want Genji-san, that'll be 13,500 Ryo."

"Genji, what're you doing?! You don't have to do this!" Shira yelled and tried to convince me otherwise.I raised my index finger at him and he allowed me to explain.

"You said you're going to become a ninja by mastering Taijutsu right Shira-kun?" He agreed and I continued.

"Well then you've got to have access to gym facilities to assist your growth."

**Your relations with Shira has increased by 200!**

"Genji-san, thank you."

"No problem."

**You've gained +1 WIS for powering up your rival to keep up with you!**

While the gym trainer showed Shira this place's facilities, I was busy lifting dumbbells to build up my STR. When Shira's tour finished, he began by practicing his Taijutsu moves against a sandbag with intense focus.

Why would I do such a nice and charitable thing? Since I'm the Gamer, it's expected I'll become pretty damn overpowered or god-like. But that's way in the future and I'm not OP yet, since I can't beat a Jōnin.

So I need a rival who can challenge me physically and a friend or ally I can depend on in battle. I know for sure Shira can do it, since he has the same work ethic and determination to succeed as Rock Lee.

* * *

**July 12: Tuesday**

It's been three months since the day I became Pakura's apprentice and I've been working my ass off. For every training session, she'd tack on an additional 10 reps and one extra lap around the village for each month.

Since I'm in the 3rd month of our training, I have to run at least 12 laps a week. Then again, didn't Might Gai run 100 laps around the village every day or am I misremembering my information?

I'm starting to suspect the higher-ups are taking advantage of my **[Gamer's Body]**, since they probably noticed I don't suffer from muscle cramps or soreness. Goro-sensei isn't a demon instructor of hell, he's the damn gatekeeper.

Due to this increased regimen, I've earned **+18 STR**, **+29 VIT**, **+12 WIS**, **+20 INT**, **+28 DEX**, and **+30 AGI**. Some of these earnings was due to increasing my iron sand weights on my body and studying the homework material the brigade assigned.

And with these stat increases are the bonus skills I've gained. Well technically, most of them are just upgrades.

**Ding!**

**[Environmental Resistance] has been upgraded due to reaching 300 VIT!**

**Environmental Resistance (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-By living in the desert for your entire life, your body has adapted to the shifting temperatures of the burning hot day and the freezing cold night****.**

**+Stamina decreases 50% slower when the user is in locations of intense temperature differences.**

**+80% decreased chance of receiving negative status effects caused by the desert environment.**

**+The user's body temperature will feel 50% warmer in freezing locales and 50% cooler in the burning hot areas.**

**Ding!**

**[Swift Learner] has been upgraded due to reaching 300 INT!**

**Swift Learner (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-You now understand and master skills faster than your peers.**

**+30% skill EXP gained when training a skill. **

**+Skills and skill book prerequisites are reduced by 15%.**

**Ding!**

**[Wired Reflexes] has been upgraded due to reaching 300 DEX!**

**[Marksman] has been upgraded due to reaching 300 DEX!**

**Wired Reflexes (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-Your body has developed the hard-wired instincts required to be a shinobi and can now react to danger even when sleeping.**

**+33% reaction speed whenever the user detects an incoming attack upon their person or nearby.**

**Marksman (Passive) Level: MAX**

**-You're able to easily determine whether your target(s) are within range of your throwing projectile weapons and hit them accurately. However, the further your target(s) are away from you, the less likely your weapons will hit.**

**+30% bonus hit chance within 35 meters.**

**+15% bonus hit chance further than 35 meters.**

**Ding!**

**A skill has been created by merging [Muffled Movement], [Silent Steps], and [Shadow Stalker] as a reward for reaching 300 AGI!**

**Silent Shinobi (Active) Level: MAX**

**-A shinobi is silent and must be able to stalk their target efficiently without using Chakra. This includes your footsteps, equipment, and movements. ****This skill can be turned on and off.**

**+Active Effects: +30% Stealth, additional +10% Stealth when hiding entirely within shadows, and anything being carried on your person makes 60% less overall noise when moving.**

Because my team is a combat unit, I asked Pakura for assistance in learning how to use my whip sword. She wasn't familiar with it, but said the first step is learning how to use a whip.

After hearing her recommendation, I made Shira accompany me on the following Sunday again to a weapon shop. He was hesitant about me spending even more money on him, but I reassured him it's necessary to become a Taijutsu master.

When he saw the destination, he asked why he'd need weapons when he can fight with his body. I gave him a bullshit reason I made up on the spot, but it could prove to be true.

"If you're going to be a shinobi, then you'll encounter enemies who are too dangerous to touch or make contact with your body. So we're here to buy some weapons just in case of these situations."

Since Shira was still a gullible child, he believed my made-up excuse and entered the shop with me. He tried to skimp out, but I told him clearly I'm willing to pay for any weapons he believes will be useful for him.

After some deliberation, Shira selected nun-chucks, steel arm guards, and a collapsible bo staff. Both he and the shopkeeper raised an eyebrow at how many weapons I brought to the countertop.

The weapons I carried were a sword, whip, flail, kusarigama, mace, axe, hammer, frying pan, spear, and a halberd. Along with Shira's selection, I paid 30,000 Ryo and sealed mine in a sealing scroll.

Why all these weapons? If I received **[Bladed Weapons Mastery]** by having three skills merge together at level 10, I thought maybe there's a blunt and or ranged weapons version as well.

My theory turned out to be true when **[Whip Mastery]**, **[Flail Mastery]**, and **[Kusarigama Mastery]** combined to form the **[Ranged Weapons Mastery]**.

**Ranged Weapons Mastery (Passive) Level: 12 EXP: 20.00%**

**-A combination skill enabling the user to wield a ranged weapon and perform various combat techniques, katas, and movements effectively and efficiently. These bonus effects only apply when wielding a ranged weapon.**

**+10% DEX**

**+60% attack power and +120% attack speed.**

**+12% decreased damage when blocking enemy attacks.**

Leveling those three in particular to level 10 was literally painful, since I often struck myself with my own weapon against the zombies. Especially the kusarigama when I cut myself and sent the zombies into a blood frenzy.

Speaking of zombies, I've gained **39,630 EXP** and **447,750 Ryo**. Due to the amount of work and studying, I could only spend at most two or three hours inside the dungeon each night.

To get a head start on my fellow beginners, I manipulated my six-foot humanoid puppet and fought against every monster from the level 1 Zombie Kid to the Level 11 Zombie Genin.

Whenever I ran low of HP or CP, I drained the monsters via my **[Chakra Drain]** and **[Life Drain]** skills. Meditating inside the dungeon simply took too long to restore my CP.

As for how I did it? Since both skills required direct contact, I restrained my enemies with **[AISD]** which doesn't cost any CP and left only their stomach exposed.

When I drained a zombie and left their face exposed, it shrieked loudly for reinforcements. Monsters simply die when their CP reaches zero as they don't receive the **(Chakra Exhausted)** status effect.

I'm getting close to fulfilling all the objectives for the Shadow Clone quest. It only took me a month of late night practice to max out the **[Clone Jutsu]** and another month to reach level 20 with my **[Iron Sand Clone Jutsu]**.

The only requirement left is reaching level 50 of Chakra Control Mastery, which is level 45 recently. All thanks to the Puppet Brigade honing my Chakra Control in ways I didn't think of.

My current rank in the playground is first place out of the 118 beginners. It used to be 100 beginners, but my class of 18 newbies were added onto the ranking list. And it's all thanks to the effects of **[Swift Learner]**, **[Mysterious Puppeteer]**, and **[Aspiring Puppeteer]**.

However, my win ratio was only 70%. In the beginning, it was 35% since I lost a lot. But with every loss, I learned something new and rapidly improved to make sure I don't make the same mistake. One lesson is even if you separate a limb from the opposing puppet's body, the opponent can use the severed limbs to launch a multi-pronged attack.

When the skill level of Chakra Threads reached level 25, I learned how to suppress the threads and make them invisible to the naked eye. However, it doubles the amount of Chakra consumed.

Because of all the battles against the zombies and other puppets, my puppet received a lot of damage. So much damage that I gained the **[Repair]** skill from fixing it myself and leveled it up.

**Repair (Passive) Level: 15 EXP: 75.25%**

**-A skill representing your proficiency in repairing broken equipment, machinery, electronics, and objects back to working order.**

**+30% repairing speed and restoration quality. **

It's not the only skill I've gained thanks to the brigade. I received the **[Mechanical Engineering]** skill after I disassembled a puppet and reassembled it together in working order.

**Mechanical Engineering (Passive) Level: 12 EXP: 80%**

**-A representation of your overall skill to design, analyze, manufacture, and operation of machines and mechanical devices.**

**+10% WIS.**

**+24% workmanship quality.**

In the following months after my first three D-rank missions, I've done another 40 D-ranks earning **1,175,000 Ryo** and **58,000 EXP**. These missions varied between rubble removal, dish-washing, laundry, searching for herbs, shopping, repair work, woodworker shop assistant, and etcetera.

Thanks to all the EXP received, I leveled up twice from 23 to 25 and a surprise notification occurred.

**Ding!**

**Due to reaching level 25, you can now equip two titles at the same time.**

Out of the ten bonus points gained, I spent some immediately giving me **+4 WIS** and **+2 LUK**. The remaining four points will be saved and reserved for VIT in the future.

Once in a while, I visited the Academy to spend time with Temari and Saya because it's important to keep cultivating the relationships I've established. Although I had to skip some lectures to do so.

Temari asked why I wasn't in the Fan Corps, which I replied I'm only going to be in the brigade for a year before doing transferring. In return I questioned why she's still in this class and she reasoned there's a chance of making more friends here.

Saya on the other hand, questioned how far I'm in the brigade's ranking system. She explained I might see her soon enough because when Kon-sensei believes your skills with the Intermediate Puppetry Kit are good enough, he'll write up a recommendation for the student to participate in the brigade.

When I asked Kon why he didn't give me a recommendation, he said I had too much on my plate learning under Goro. After attending several brigade lectures, I understood his point.

The last important thing during this three month period was finally finding a solution to one of the problems I've been trying to resolve. As my Chakra reserves grow, so does the amount of iron sand from **[AISD]**.

I keep storing the excess inside my inventory, but I want it all of it to be on my person. So it can readily respond to any threat.

The problem at hand was trying to figure a way to contain my Chakra-infused sand without copying Gaara's gourd storage. I didn't want to be a copycat of Gaara because the gourd is his thing.

So I bought a complete history of Earth book from the auction for 5,000 Ryo and read it for any inspiration. And I found it from reading the name of India's version of the brigandine armor. The original was a coat, but I made a cloak instead.

While standing in front of a mirror, I manipulated **[AISD]** to form a thick cloak covering my puppeteer robes. Around the back of my neck is a fur trimmed hoodie I can pull over my head similar to Kiba's for the extra intimidation factor.

When I finished, I stared at my reflection and was mesmerized by the cloak's shifting sand. All the black and gray particles moving in randomized patterns.

I thought the finished product would be too heavy to wear, but it's not and I received a message from the system.

**Ding!**

**What would you like to name this preset form of [AISD]?**

"Cloak of 10,000 Nails."

Reading my newly updated **[AISD]**, it now displayed some additional information.

**+Preset Form 1: Cloak of 10,000 Nails - A cloak with a fur trimmed hoodie completely composed of shifting Chakra-infused iron sand that acts like a regular cloak. It serves as an additional layer of defense and is readily available to be used for anything the master wills it to do.**

**+100 DEF, +130% Bonus DEF, -15% DEX, and -20% AGI.**

What's really great about this preset form is it doesn't count as an equipment armor item. Meaning I can wear three layers of defenses instead of the usual limit of two. And the defense value will only grow the more I practice my **[Natural Earth Affinity]**.

I can even apply a transformation so it could look like a normal cloak if I choose to do so. It's also additional protection from Orochimaru's curse seal. But knowing that snake's crafty ways, he'll find a way around it.

But that's enough of the past!

Right now, I'm playing shogi with my mother although we're both beginners at the game. It's a good idea since I'm raising my WIS, secretly practice my **[Sand-Sticking]**, and spending time with mother.

Multi-tasking at its finest so far. I had to buy a shogi set and how to play book for 1,000 Ryo because mother said she didn't know how to play and I didn't either.

Alright alright, that's not the real reason I'm doing such a nice thing.

The real reason I'm spending time with mother is because I told her Pakura-sensei believes I'm ready to go on my first C-rank mission tomorrow. Team 11 is a combat unit, so I'm not going to be doing menial tasks for the duration of my apprenticeship.

Mother felt worried about me going outside the village with only Pakura as my safety net despite her hero status, but my teacher also said I'm going to have two temporary teammates joining me too.

This calmed her down and told me to stay safe on my mission and listen to Pakura's orders. While working on my Chakra control, I pondered on who my teammates will be. When I asked for their identities earlier, Pakura said "It's a secret."

I just hope they're easy to work with, but my teacher kept reassuring me that I'll like her choice.

* * *

**July 13: Wednesday**

Today's the day I'm going on my first C-rank mission and I'm full of anticipation. Yes, I know there's a chance of killing some living human beings, but it's a kill or be killed world.

Will I meet somebody important or will my luck make me experience something similar to the Wave Arc? Only time will tell, but right now I'm trying to decide what color of clothes to wear.

Orange? Nah, I'll stick with royal purple for now. Should I wear my cloak of 10,000 nails? No, I'll do so after hearing the mission's parameters.

Going downstairs and sitting at the table, I removed the shemagh portion of my cowl to eat breakfast. When I was about to leave, mother called out.

"Wait Genji! When you get back from your mission, we're going to have a talk about your bloodlines. Mine in particular."

"Okay mom." I said as I puzzled over what she could possibly teach me. Maybe she knows some clan techniques before she exiled herself or some tips and tricks? Ooh, the possibilities.

Because I'm going to meet my new teammates, I kept the face mask portion off so they can see my face. It's important to establish trust even if they're only temporary.

Arriving at training ground 40 by body flicker, I noticed two very familiar people standing near Pakura.

"Good morning Pakura-sensei! What are Maki-sensei and Nonota-sensei doing here?" I greeted my teacher and rudely pointed at Maki in particular.

"Do you have a problem with me being here Genji?!" Maki stated with a tinge of annoyance.

"C-calm down Maki-chan, Genji is probably surprised to see his former Academy teachers as his new teammates." Nonota spoke in my defense and raised his hands in a placating manner before continuing conversation.

"Pakura-sama also informed us of your Magnet Release bloodline earlier, so we won't be surprised by it. But to think you're related to the Sandaime Kazekage, it all makes sense now." Nonota was about to talk even more if Pakura didn't interrupt him.

*Ahem!*

"Good morning Genji, these two are here to fill out the missing spots of Team 11 for the duration of your apprenticeship. You can call them Maki-senpai and Nonota-senpai." Pakura motioned to the two former teachers and Maki stood proud of being personally chosen by her idol.

"Even though they're Chūnin?"

"Indeed. The Kazekage ordered me to find two shinobi to be your teammates who aren't Jōnin. Maki and Nonota are here to assist in teamwork exercises, serve as an occasional sparring partner, additional protection on missions, and teach you the basic fundamentals and sealing theories of Fūinjutsu."

More like the Kazekage doesn't want a valuable asset being kidnapped by other villages. At least I'll finally be able to level up my Fūinjutsu skill soon instead of working my way up to the brigade's advanced level.

"Is my training going to be reduced because my senpais possibly can't handle it?" A tick mark appeared on Maki's forehead as she didn't like how I'm underestimating their capabilities in front of Pakura.

"No Genji. They'll have to endure the training specifically tailored to you. Because if they can't handle it, then they can't become elite Jōnin."

"Don't think we can't handle whatever training you're undergoing Genji." Maki pumped her fist like the 'We can do it' woman followed by Nonota's reassuring response.

"Y-You don't have to worry about us Genji. Besides, how bad could it possibly be?"

.

.

.

.

"Hey! What's with your evil smile?!" Maki yelled as I continued smirking knowing they'll suffer alongside me.

"Oh you'll find out, misery loves company after all." I said as I reattached my shemagh face mask. My statement frightened Nonota a bit, while Maki ignored my scare-tactic.

"By the way, are we going to do introductions since we're going to be a team?" I asked since I'm curious about these two.

"That's a good idea Genji. I see your already promoting teamwork already. I'll go first, then Maki, followed by Nonota, and finally you Genji." Pakura said and reintroduced herself giving the same information I heard earlier.

"My name is Maki and I like Pakura-sensei, my friends, and reading. I dislike Kiri-nin in general and dream of becoming an elite Jōnin to get revenge on those responsible for my parent's deaths."

"Umm. . . My name is Nonota and I like Maki-chan, my friends, and family. I don't have anything I really dislike much other than enemies with strong abilities and I dream of becoming more confident."

When my turn came around, I gave the same introduction as last time. The two Chūnin were surprised by my goal of becoming Suna's first God of Shinobi.

"So that's why you've been training so hard. You have your work cut out for you because that kind of title requires you to be proficient in all five Nature Affinities."

"Now that everyone has given their introductions, let's go for your first C-rank mission Genji."

**Pakura has joined your party!**

**Maki has joined your party!**

**Nonota has joined your party!**

**Would you like to name your party?**

Yes. Team 11.

**Party has been renamed to Team 11.**

Hmmm. Does this mean I can actually view their current stats via the Main Menu's **[Party]**?

* * *

**Character Status**

**Name:** Genji Kaguya

**Class:** The Gamer

**Age:** 7

**Affiliation:** Suna

**Titles:**

→ **[Genin]** (Allowed access to E, D, and C ranked Jutsu in the library's restricted section. Able to participate on D and C ranked missions with a team.)

**[Aspiring Fanboy]** (+15% proficiency learning Suna's fan arts.)

**[Aspiring Puppeteer]** (15% proficiency learning Suna's puppet arts.)

**[Zombie Slayer]** (+50% attack and defense when in combat against Zombies.)

→ **[Pakura's Apprentice]** (Grants +4 STR, +7 VIT, +3 WIS, +3 INT, +7 DEX, and +7 AGI permanently for each full month under Pakura's tutelage. +25% proficiency towards Bladed Weapons Mastery, general shinobi skills, and Fire &amp; Wind affinity training.)

**Status:** Normal, +25% Evasion, and +60.84 DEF

**Level:** 25 - **EXP:** 17,513/65,000

**HP:** 4,194 - **HP Regen:** 198.45 per minute

**CP:** 4,628.8/9,257.59 - **CP Regen:** 38.52 per minute

**STR:** 69 + (69 X 1.13) = 146.97

**VIT:** 126 + (126 X 2.15) = 396.9

**PE:** 543.87 + (543.87 X .125) = 611.85

**WIS:** 78 + (Meditation 23) + (Reading: Bookworm 2) + (103 X .87) = 192.61

**INT:** 119 + (Meditation 23) + (Reading: Bookworm 2) + (Clothes 10) + (154 X 1.16) = 332.64

**SE:** 525.25 + (525.25 X .25) = 656.5

**DEX:** 103 + (Ambidextrous 25) + (128 X 1.45) = 313.6

**AGI:** 125 + (Sandals 4) + (129 X 1.39) = 308.31

**LUK:** 143 + (143 X .1) = 157.3

**Fame/Infamy:** 60/0

**Unspent points:** 4

**Money:** 6,752,574 Ryo - (37,000 Clothes) - (2,800 Equipment &amp; Supplies) - (5,500 Gambling) - (320,100 Training Books) - (84,000 debt) - (33,500 Gym Membership) - (30,000 weapons) - (5,000 history book) + (38,000 Gambling) + (1,250,500 Missions) + (447,750 Zombie Hunting) = 7,970,924 Ryo

**Kaguya Genji is a paranoid reincarnated young man who desires money and power to guarantee his wishes such as his survival past the 4th Shinobi War and his mother's wellbeing.**

**He feels indebted to his mother Miya because she didn't throw him away after birth and tried her best to take care of him.**

**Genji is somewhat lazy, but his paranoia of the main characters failing to save the day is enough of a motivator for him to improve himself. In addition, he's finds the art of puppetry enjoyable and has thought of several ways to improve the field.**

**Currently, his power level and stats are equivalent to Itachi and Kakashi when they were his age.**

**With the right training methods, skills, work ethic, and overall goals to improve himself for selfish reasons, he'll surpass all eventually.**

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Yes, I'll rewrite this chapter again should Kishimoto ever list what the affinity components of the Magnet Release are.**

If you can think of a better description for Yang and Yin release, then please let me know.

I've rewritten all 12 previous chapters for multiple reasons like my timeline of events was wonky and out of order, some skills should've been learned earlier, damage output is inconsistent, and etc.

Did you think Genji could spend all that money and nobody would notice? He's living in a ninja village, so they'll notice that discrepancy. Why didn't they notice it earlier? Because of his high LUK delaying the investigation in his favor.

**Will the cost of [AISD] decrease?** Yes. It'll decrease for every 200 WIS increment reached until 1,000 WIS where the amount of Chakra consumed is proportional to the amount of sand needed to defend himself.

**If Maki and Nonota are on his team, then what about Shira and Saya/(Other)?** Maki and Nonota are only temporary who'll only be there for the duration of his apprenticeship. He'll still have his two classmates as future teammates as he's working on his **[Speech]** skill and waiting for them to graduate from the Academy.

**Guest97:** Any Jōnin who are familiar with Genji actually do notice his abnormal growth rate, it's just I haven't included any interludes detailing their observations, reactions, or POV. I'll probably dedicate a single chapter with everyone's POV in them later on after his first C-rank mission.

**malikmi95:** No, the automatic party system doesn't reveal his gamer powers to any party members. He could turn it off to manually invite others where they'll see his powers in reality, but he's not going to.

**XxOmNiPoTent PriMorDial GodxX**: All-Killing Ash Bone won't be learned early on because that's an end-game skill. He could get the skill automatically by eating a Chakra Fruit appearing on the Abyss Auction, but the fruit will be one of the most costly things he could buy from the site.

**Im Not Itachi**: Thanks for pointing out the mistake.

**victimsofrage**: Something similar to that will happen when Genji has a higher WIS and rereads **[AISD]** noticing the ability follows his will. So instead of having it as an armor, he could command it to take a different form like an autonomous clone of himself, floating guardian, or something else.

**Dragon of Selene**: Yes, I have limited Genji to only CP. No point in having Mana Points (MP) when the Naruto world doesn't have it.

**DarthBill**: He'll get a railgun-like Jutsu eventually, he's starting off small and working his way upwards.


End file.
